Breakdown of Ekki þvo hvítan þvott með dökkum fötum!
ekki
not
með
with
hvítur
white
þvo
to wash
þvotturinn
the laundry
dökkur
dark
fötin
the clothes
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Icelandic grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Ekki þvo hvítan þvott með dökkum fötum!
Why is Ekki placed before the verb þvo instead of after it?
In Icelandic negative commands you place Ekki immediately before the verb. This corresponds to English don’t + verb, but in Icelandic it’s Ekki + imperative form (no inversion).
Why is the verb þvo not conjugated here?
This is the 2nd person singular imperative of að þvo (to wash). Imperatives in Icelandic use the bare verb stem without endings for þú.
Why is hvítan used instead of hvítur?
Hvítan is the masculine singular accusative form of hvítur. Adjectives in Icelandic agree with their noun’s gender, number, and case. Here þvott is a masculine singular direct object, so the adjective becomes hvítan.
Why is þvott in the accusative case?
Þvott (laundry) is the direct object of the command þvo. Direct objects take the accusative case in Icelandic, hence hvítan þvott.
Why are dökkum and fötum in the dative plural?
The preposition með always governs the dative. Föt (clothes) is plural, so in dative it becomes fötum, and the adjective dökkur drops to dökkum to match.
What gender and number is föt?
Föt is a neuter noun that exists only in the plural (a pluralia tantum). You’ll never find a singular föt, only the plural forms like föt (nom./acc.) and fötum (dat.).
What exactly does þvott mean here?
Þvott can mean “wash” or “laundry.” In this context it refers to the laundry load of white clothes you’re washing.
How do I pronounce the letter þ in þvo?
Þ (thorn) is pronounced like the English unvoiced th in think, IPA [θ]. So þvo sounds like [θvoː].
How do I pronounce the letter ö in dökkum?
Ö is pronounced like the German ö or the vowel in English “bird” (in non-rhotic accents). In IPA it’s [œ].
Why is there no subject pronoun like þú in this sentence?
Imperative sentences in Icelandic omit the subject pronoun. The verb form alone tells you it’s a command to you (singular).
Could I say Ekki þvo hvítan þvott með dökkum fötum to someone formally?
No. Icelandic has no formal “you” distinction; þú is used for everyone in the singular. To address more than one person you’d use the plural imperative þvoið, as in Ekki þvoið ....