Breakdown of Ég vel annan lit fyrir herbergið.
ég
I
fyrir
for
herbergið
the room
annar
another
velja
to choose
litur
the color
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Questions & Answers about Ég vel annan lit fyrir herbergið.
What does vel mean here, and how is it related to velja?
The verb velja means “to choose.” In the present tense first-person singular it becomes (ég) vel, so Ég vel literally means “I choose.”
Can you omit ég in Icelandic?
Yes. Icelandic is a pro-drop language, meaning the subject pronoun can be left out because the verb ending -l in vel already signals first-person singular. You could simply say Vel annan lit fyrir herbergið.
Why is it annan lit instead of annar litur?
Because lit (“color”) is the direct object, it must be in the accusative case. The accusative singular of litur is lit (dropping the -ur). The adjective annarr (“another”) must agree: masculine accusative singular is annann. Hence annan lit.
What gender and case is lit in this sentence?
“Lit” is a masculine noun. Since it’s the object of the verb, it’s in the accusative singular, and the ending is simply -t (accusative of litur).
Why are there two n’s in annann?
That’s part of the strong declension of annarr. Its masculine accusative singular form is annann (nom. annar | acc. annan | gen. annars | dat. öðrum).
What case does herbergið take after fyrir, and why is it definite?
The preposition fyrir meaning “for” takes the accusative case here, so herbergið is accusative singular. It’s definite because of the suffix -ið, which turns the neuter noun herbergi (“room”) into “the room.”
How would you say “for a room” instead of “for the room”?
Use the indefinite form without the definite suffix: fyrir herbergi. That means “for a room.”
How do you express the past tense “I chose another color for the room”?
The past tense (preterite) of velja is valdi. So you say Ég valdi annan lit fyrir herbergið.
What if I want to say “I choose another room” instead?
Since herbergi is neuter, you use the neuter form annað. So: Ég vel annað herbergi.
Could you ever pair annað with lit?
No. Lit is masculine, so you must use the masculine accusative annann. Annað lit would be grammatically incorrect.