Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Icelandic grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Ég á sex penna.
What does á mean in this sentence?
In this context, á is the 1st-person singular present of the verb að eiga, which means to own or to possess. So Ég á sex penna literally translates as “I own six pens,” even though in English we usually just say “I have six pens.” Here á is not the preposition on.
Why is the noun penna and not pennar?
The verb á takes a direct object in the accusative case. At the same time, when you count more than four items, Icelandic uses the genitive plural form of the noun. For penni (a weak masculine noun) the accusative plural form is penna—and coincidentally the genitive plural is also penna. The nominative plural would be pennar, but we don’t use that here.
Why is there no article before sex penna?
Icelandic does not have a separate indefinite article like English a or an. Indefinite nouns simply appear without an article. If you wanted to emphasize “one pen,” you would use the numeral einn. Otherwise, you leave it bare: Ég á hund (“I have a dog”), Ég á sex penna (“I have six pens”).
Does sex change form if the noun is feminine or masculine, or in different cases?
No. Cardinal numbers fimm (5) and above are invariable in Icelandic. That means sex stays sex regardless of the gender or case of the noun it’s counting. Only einn, tveir, þrír, fjórir change to agree in gender, number (2–4), and case.
What’s the difference between using ég á and ég hef to say “I have”?
- Ég á (from að eiga) is the usual way to express ownership or possession.
- Ég hef (from að hafa) is a more general “to have” and is less common for physical possession in everyday speech.
Native speakers almost always say ég á hund for “I have a dog,” not ég hef hund.
Can I drop ég and say Á sex penna?
In standard Icelandic you usually include the subject pronoun ég. Icelandic is not a pro-drop language like Spanish. Some very informal spoken contexts might omit pronouns if the meaning is obvious, but in writing or careful speech you should keep Ég á sex penna.
What is the word order in Ég á sex penna? Why is the verb in the second position?
Icelandic is a V2 (verb-second) language in main clauses. That means the finite verb always occupies the second slot. Here the order is:
1) Ég (subject)
2) á (finite verb)
3) sex penna (object)
If you front another element, the verb still stays second: Sex penna á ég (“Six pens I own”).
How would I ask “How many pens do you have?” in Icelandic?
You use the interrogative hversu plus the accusative plural noun, then the verb form for þú. For example:
Hversu marga penna áttu?
Here hversu marga means “how many” (accusative plural), penna is accusative plural, and áttu is the 2nd-person singular of að eiga.
How do I pronounce sex penna?
- sex is pronounced [sɛks] (the vowel like e in “bed,” x as /ks/).
- penna is [ˈpɛnːa] (stress on the first syllable, a long n).
Put together: SEX PEN-na with primary stress on “sex.”