Settu gaffalinn á borðið.

Put the fork on the table.

Breakdown of Settu gaffalinn á borðið.

• borðið: the table
• setja: to put
• á: on
• gaffalinn: the fork

Questions & Answers about Settu gaffalinn á borðið.

Why is the verb settu and not setja?

Settu is the imperative singular form of the verb setja (to put / to place / to set).

• setja = the dictionary form, to put
• settu = put! when speaking to one person

So:

• Settu gaffalinn á borðið. = Put the fork on the table.

If you were speaking to more than one person, you would normally use setjið.

Why is there no word for you in the sentence?

In Icelandic, as in English imperatives, the subject you is usually left out.

Compare:

• English: Put the fork on the table.
• Icelandic: Settu gaffalinn á borðið.

The you is understood from the imperative form settu.
You do not need to say þú here.

Why does gaffalinn mean the fork? Where does the -inn come from?

Icelandic usually adds the definite article (the) to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.

So:

• gaffall = fork
• gaffalinn = the fork

That -inn is the attached definite article for this form of the noun.

This is very common in Icelandic:

• bíll = car
• bíllinn = the car

Why is it gaffalinn and not gaffallinn?

Because the noun changes form depending on case.

The basic dictionary form is:

• gaffall = fork

But here it is the direct object of the verb settu, so it is in the accusative. In the accusative singular, the stem changes slightly:

• nominative: gaffallinn = the fork (as subject)
• accusative: gaffalinn = the fork (as object)

So in this sentence, gaffalinn is the correct object form.

Why is borðið also translated as the table?

Just like gaffalinn, borðið has the definite article attached to the noun.

• borð = table
• borðið = the table

Here the noun is neuter, and the definite ending looks different from the one in gaffalinn.

So Icelandic does not use a separate word like English the here. It is built into the noun.

Why is it á borðið and not á borðinu?

This is a very important Icelandic pattern.

The preposition á can take different cases depending on the meaning:

• accusative = movement onto something
• dative = location on something

Here the sentence means the fork is being moved onto the table, so Icelandic uses the accusative:

• á borðið = onto the table

Compare:

• Settu gaffalinn á borðið. = Put the fork onto the table.
• Gaffallinn er á borðinu. = The fork is on the table.

In the second sentence, the fork is already there, so á takes the dative: borðinu.

What case are the nouns in this sentence?

Both nouns are in forms that learners should pay attention to:

• gaffalinn is accusative singular definite
• borðið is also accusative singular definite

Why?

1. gaffalinn is the direct object of settu
2. borðið is after á, and á takes the accusative here because the meaning is movement onto the table

So even though both are translated with the, their endings are there because Icelandic marks grammatical role very clearly.

What is the basic word order in this sentence?

The sentence follows a very natural Icelandic order:

• Settu = verb
• gaffalinn = object
• á borðið = prepositional phrase

So the structure is:

Verb + Object + Place

This matches English quite closely:

• Put
  • the fork
    • on the table

Because it is an imperative, starting with the verb is completely normal.

Can setja mean more than just put?

Yes. Setja is a very common verb and can mean things like:

• put
• place
• set

The best English translation depends on context.

In Settu gaffalinn á borðið, the most natural translation is usually:

• Put the fork on the table.

But you may also see place the fork on the table in a more formal style.

How is Settu gaffalinn á borðið pronounced?

A rough learner-friendly guide would be:

SET-tu GAFF-a-linn au BOR-thith

A few helpful points:

• Stress in Icelandic usually falls on the first syllable
• á sounds roughly like ow in now, but longer
• ð in borðið is like the th in this
• tt in settu is not pronounced exactly like English tt; Icelandic consonants often sound sharper or differently timed than in English

You do not need perfect pronunciation right away, but it helps to notice that Icelandic spelling is quite systematic once you learn the sound rules.