Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Þeir eru að setja pakka undir ljósin. - They are putting a package under the lights.

Eru að setja is the Icelandic way to express the continuous or progressive aspect (“they are putting”). Icelandic lacks a dedicated progressive tense like English, so it uses the auxiliary vera in the present tense plus að + infinitive to show an action in progress. If you said just Þeir setja pakka undir ljósin, it could mean “they put packages under the lights” in a habitual or general sense, but it doesn’t clearly convey “right now.”

Why is setja in the infinitive form after eru að?

The word að is the Icelandic infinitive marker, equivalent to English “to.” Whenever you have vera + að, the main verb must be in its infinitive form. So setja stays as “to put” following að.

What case is pakka, and why does it look like that?

Pakka is the indefinite accusative form of the masculine noun pakki (“package”). Masculine nouns often take -a in the accusative singular, so pakki → pakka. Incidentally, the indefinite accusative plural is also pakka, so the form is ambiguous in number without context.

How can I tell if pakka refers to one package or several?

In the indefinite accusative, pakka covers both singular and plural. You must rely on context or add numerals/adjectives. For one package you might say einn pakki (nom.), but the object form is still pakka; for three packages you could say þrjá pakka.

Why is ljósin in the definite plural, and what case is it?

The preposition undir here indicates movement (“placing under”), so it governs the accusative case. Ljósin is the definite accusative plural of the neuter noun ljós (“light”/“lamp”/“lights”). Neuter plurals have the same form in nominative and accusative, so ljósin = “the lights.”

Does undir always take the accusative?

No. Undir takes accusative when you express movement toward or placement under something (as here). If you describe a static location (no movement), it takes the dative:
– Movement/placement: Hún setti bókina undir borðið. (acc.)
– Location/static: Bókin liggur undir borðinu. (dat.)

Could you make pakka or ljósin definite? How?

Yes.
– For pakki (m):
• Definite acc. sg.: pakkan (“the package”)
• Definite acc. pl.: pakkana (“the packages”)
– For ljós (n):
• Definite acc. sg.: ljósið (“the light”)
• Definite acc. pl.: ljósin (“the lights”) – this is the form in your sentence.

Is it possible to use the simple present Þeir setja pakka undir ljósin instead of eru að setja?

Yes, it’s grammatically correct. But Þeir setja pakka undir ljósin is more like a statement of habit or general fact (“they put packages under the lights”). If you want to emphasize that the action is happening right now, use eru að setja.

What is the default word order in Icelandic, and why is the order in this sentence S – V – O – PP?

Icelandic is generally a V2 language, but with auxiliary + að you treat eru að setja as a single verb phrase, so the sentence follows a straightforward Subject–Verb–Object–Prepositional Phrase order. Moving elements for emphasis (e.g. fronting undir ljósin) is possible but less common in neutral statements.