Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Icelandic grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Ég vil meira kaffi.
What is the grammatical role of meira in the sentence?
Meira is the comparative form of the adjective (or degree word) meaning “more.” Here it modifies the noun kaffi, indicating an increased quantity of coffee.
Why is it meira and not meiri?
In Icelandic, comparative adjectives agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun they modify. Kaffi is a neuter noun in the indefinite singular; the neuter singular comparative ending is -a, giving meira instead of the masculine/feminine meiri.
Why doesn’t kaffi change its ending for the direct object (accusative) case?
Many neuter nouns in Icelandic have identical forms in the nominative and accusative singular indefinite. Kaffi is one of these “flat” neuter nouns, so its form stays kaffi whether it’s subject or direct object.
What kind of verb is vil, and how does it conjugate?
Vil is the first person singular present tense of the strong, irregular verb vilja (to want). Its present-tense paradigm is:
- ég vil
- þú villt
- hann/hún/það vill
- við viljum
- þið viljið
- þeir/þær/þau vilja
Can the subject pronoun ég be dropped here?
Icelandic normally keeps subject pronouns for clarity, so you usually say Ég vil meira kaffi. In very casual speech you might hear Vil meira kaffi, but it’s not standard.
Is there a more polite or softer way to request more coffee?
Yes. You can switch to the conditional or add a politeness adverb. For example:
- Ég myndi vilja meira kaffi (I would like more coffee).
- Ég myndi gjarnan vilja meira kaffi (I would gladly like more coffee).
Why isn’t there a preposition like af (of) before kaffi?
When you ask for “more” of an uncountable substance, Icelandic uses the comparative adjective directly before the noun (meira kaffi). If you wanted more countable units—say, cups—you’d say fleiri bolla af kaffi (“more cups of coffee”), using af and the countable noun bolla.
How would you say “I want to drink more coffee” explicitly?
You can insert the infinitive drekka: Ég vil drekka meira kaffi. However, in everyday speech speakers often omit drekka when the meaning is clear from context.
How is kaffi pronounced?
Kaffi is pronounced roughly as [ˈkʰafːɪ]. The double f indicates a long [fː] sound, a as in “father,” and i as in “ski.”