Ég á tólf penna.

I have twelve pens.

Breakdown of Ég á tólf penna.

• ég: I
• eiga: to have
• penninn: the pen
• tólf: twelve

Questions & Answers about Ég á tólf penna.

What does á mean in Ég á tólf penna, and why not use hafa?

á comes from the verb eiga, meaning “to own” or “to possess.” For expressing simple possession, Icelandic uses ég á (“I own/I have”). The verb hafa is mainly an auxiliary in perfect tenses (ég hef séð = “I have seen”) or appears in some idiomatic contexts, but you wouldn’t say ég hef tólf penna for “I have twelve pens.”

What is the infinitive of á, and how is it conjugated?

The infinitive is að eiga. It’s an irregular strong verb. Present‐tense conjugation looks like this:

• ég á (I have)
• þú átt (you have)
• hann/hún/það á (he/she/it has)
• við eigum (we have)
• þið eigið (you pl. have)
• þeir/þær/þau eiga (they have)

Why is the noun penni in the form penna instead of penni or pennar?

When a noun is counted by a number greater than four, Icelandic grammar requires the noun to take the genitive plural. The genitive plural of penni is penna, so tólf penna literally means “twelve of pens.”

Do Icelandic numbers decline, and does tólf change in other cases?

Numbers 1–4 decline for gender and case (einn, tveir, þrír, fjórir, etc.). However, numbers 5 and above, including tólf, are indeclinable and look the same in all cases. The noun still follows the appropriate case rule (here forced into genitive plural by the number).

Is penna here accusative or genitive, and why does it look like genitive plural?

From the perspective of the verb á, tólf penna functions as an accusative object. But because of the rule for numbers above four, the noun itself takes the genitive plural form. Icelandic allows the noun’s internal case (genitive plural) to coexist with the phrase’s syntactic role (accusative object).

Can you drop Ég and say Á tólf penna?

Technically yes, since Icelandic verbs show the person. Á tólf penna would still be understood as “I have twelve pens.” However, speakers often include the pronoun for clarity or emphasis in everyday speech.

Can the word order change in this sentence?

Yes, Icelandic has flexible word order due to its case system. You can front tólf penna for emphasis:
Tólf penna á ég.
This still means “I have twelve pens,” but it stresses tólf penna.