Vikan líður hratt.

The week passes quickly.

Breakdown of Vikan líður hratt.

• líða: to pass
• hratt: quickly
• vikan: the week

Questions & Answers about Vikan líður hratt.

Why do we use vikan instead of vika?

In Icelandic, definiteness is shown by a suffix rather than a separate article. Vika means “a week,” and when you want “the week,” you add -n for feminine nouns of the first declension:
• vika (indefinite) → vikan (definite)
So vikan translates as the week.

What case is vikan in, and why?

It’s in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the sentence. The verb líða (to pass, flow) needs a nominative subject telling us what is doing the “passing.”

What does líður mean here, and how is it conjugated?

Here líður is the 3rd person singular present of líða meaning “to pass” (of time). Conjugation in present tense is:
Ég líð
Þú líður
Hann/hún líður
Við líkum
Þið líkið
Þeir líða

So vikan líður literally means “the week passes.”

Can líður mean something else?

Yes. Líða also means “to feel” (well, sick, etc.) when used with a dative pronoun:
• Mér líður vel. → “I feel well.”
Context and case marking tell you which meaning—“time passes” vs. “to feel.”