Breakdown of Ef við förum í bíó, þá kaupi ég poppkorn.
ég
I
við
we
fara
to go
kaupa
to buy
í
to
ef
if
þá
then
bíóið
the cinema
poppkornið
the popcorn
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Questions & Answers about Ef við förum í bíó, þá kaupi ég poppkorn.
Why is ef the first word, and what does it do?
ef means “if” and introduces a conditional subordinate clause. It sets up the scenario (“if we go to the cinema”) that the main clause (“I’ll buy popcorn”) depends on.
Why is þá used after the comma, and can I omit it?
þá literally means “then” and in Ef …, þá … constructions it marks the result part. It’s very common to keep the two halves balanced, but it’s not mandatory. You could say:
Ef við förum í bíó kaupi ég poppkorn.
and it still sounds natural.
Why is the verb kaupi in the present tense if it refers to a future action?
Icelandic does not have a separate future tense. The present tense covers both present and near‐future actions. Here context (the if clause) makes it clear you mean “I will buy.”
Why does kaupi come before ég in “þá kaupi ég poppkorn”?
Icelandic is a V2 language (verb‐second). In main clauses the finite verb must occupy the second position. With þá in first position, kaupi (the verb) moves to second, pushing ég (the subject) to third.
Why isn’t the verb förum at the end of the clause “Ef við förum í bíó”?
Not all subordinating conjunctions force verb‐final order. Conjunctions like að (“that/to”) do, but ef behaves like a main‐clause particle for word order. So the finite verb förum still appears in second position after the subject við.
Why do we say “fara í bíó” instead of “fara á bíó”?
fara í bíó is the fixed idiomatic expression for “go to the cinema/movies.” The preposition í can govern the accusative to express motion into a place. You wouldn’t say á bíó in this context.
Why is there no article before bíó, and why not bíóið?
After fara í you normally use the noun in the indefinite form when talking about going to see any film. bíóið (the definite form “the cinema”) would imply a specific building, as in “we go into the cinema building,” which is a slightly different meaning.
How does poppkorn behave grammatically? Why isn’t it marked for number?
poppkorn (“popcorn”) is a neuter mass noun. It looks identical in singular and plural nominative/accusative. Here it’s indefinite and uncounted, so there is no article or plural marking.
What if I start with the main clause (“I’ll buy popcorn”) and move the if‐clause after it?
You can say:
Ég kaupi poppkorn ef við förum í bíó.
When the conditional clause follows the main clause, þá drops automatically and kaupi stays in second position of the main clause.