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Questions & Answers about Lestin fer vestur í dag.
What does Lestin mean and why is it in this form?
Lestin means “the train.” Icelandic uses definite nouns by adding a suffix. Here, lest is “train” and -in is the definite article “the,”so lestin = “the train.”
Why is the verb fer used instead of fara?
Fara is the infinitive “to go.” Fer is the present‐tense, third‐person singular form: “he/she/it goes.” Since lestin (“the train”) is third‐person singular, we use fer.
What role does vestur play in the sentence?
Vestur is an adverb meaning “westward” or simply “west.” It tells the direction of the action: “goes west.”
Could you use a preposition with vestur, like “to the west”?
Yes, but it changes the style slightly. You could say fer til vesturs í dag, literally “goes to the west today.” However, Icelandic often drops the preposition for cardinal directions, so fer vestur is perfectly natural and more concise.
Why is í dag at the end of the sentence?
Icelandic follows a verb‐second (V2) word order: the finite verb (fer) must be the second element. Here the subject (Lestin) is first, the verb second, and the rest (direction + time) follows. Time adverbials like í dag (“today”) can appear in other positions too, but placing them at the end is common.
Can I say Í dag fer lestin vestur instead?
Yes. Starting with Í dag (today) puts the time element first, then the verb (fer) second, and the subject (lestin) third. Both sentences are correct, but the focus changes slightly: the latter emphasizes today.
Is there a difference between vestur and a vestur?
Yes. Vestur is a pure directional adverb (“westward”). A vestur would combine the preposition á (“to/on”) with the root, which is rare in this context. Instead, Icelandic uses til vesturs if you want a preposition: fer til vesturs.
How would I say “the train went west yesterday”?
You change the tense and time adverbial: Lestin fór vestur í gær. Here fór is the past‐tense of fara and í gær means “yesterday.”
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