Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Ég vil frekar vatn en kaffi. - I would rather have water than coffee.

Ég (jɛːɣ) — like “yeh” with a soft gh at the end
vil (vɪl)
frekar (freːkar) — long e in the first syllable
vatn (vaʰtn̥) — the t is pre-aspirated; don’t worry if you say (vatn)
en (ɛn)
kaffi (kʰafːɪ) — initial k is strongly aspirated; ff is long Stress is on the first syllable of each word; overall falling intonation.

Why is there no article before “water” or “coffee”?

Icelandic has no indefinite article (“a/an”). Mass nouns like vatn and kaffi often appear without any article when speaking generally. Use the definite suffix to be specific: vatnið = “the water,” kaffið = “the coffee.”

What case are “vatn” and “kaffi,” and why do they look uninflected?

They’re direct objects of vilja, so they’re in the accusative. For neuter singular nouns, nominative and accusative look the same in the indefinite, so you don’t see an ending. The definite forms make the case visible: vatnið, kaffið (both accusative singular definite).

Can I say “the water … the coffee”?

Yes: Ég vil frekar vatnið en kaffið.

What’s the difference between frekar and heldur here?

In affirmative preference, both are possible:
Ég vil frekar vatn en kaffi. / Ég vil heldur vatn en kaffi.
After a negation, use heldur without en:
Ég vil ekki kaffi, heldur vatn. = “I don’t want coffee, but rather water.” In everyday speech, frekar … en … is a very common way to say “rather … than ….”

Can I move frekar elsewhere?

Yes. The common options are:

Ég vil frekar vatn en kaffi.
Ég vil vatn frekar en kaffi. Both are natural. Keep frekar near what you’re comparing and don’t separate en + [the alternative] from it.

What is vil, and how is vilja conjugated?

vil is 1st person singular present of vilja “to want.”

Present: ég vil, þú vilt, hann/hún/það vill, við viljum, þið viljið, þeir/þau/þær vilja
Past: ég vildi, þú vildir, hann/hún/það vildi, við vildum, þið vilduð, þeir/þau/þær vildu Note: vilja means “to want,” not the English future “will.”

Can vilja take a verb? How to say “I’d rather drink water than coffee”?

Yes. Use an infinitive:

Ég vil frekar drekka vatn en kaffi. More polite/softened: Ég myndi frekar vilja drekka vatn en kaffi. For habits, you can also say: Ég drekk frekar vatn en kaffi.

When do I use Mig langar instead of Ég vil?

Ég vil X = I want X (decision/intent).
Mig langar í X = I feel like X / I crave X (experiencer in accusative). Example: Mig langar frekar í vatn en kaffi.

How do I ask someone this?

Singular, informal: Viltu frekar vatn en kaffi?
Plural (to more than one person): Viljið þið frekar vatn en kaffi?

What does en mean here? Isn’t it also “but”?

en can mean “than” in comparisons (as here after frekar) and “but” in contrasts:

Comparison: Ég vil frekar vatn en kaffi.
Contrast: Ég vil vatn, en hún vill kaffi.

How would I add adjectives like “cold” or “hot”?

Adjectives agree with the noun. For neuter accusative singular (indefinite):

kalt vatn (cold water), heitt kaffi (hot coffee) Example: Ég vil frekar kalt vatn en heitt kaffi.

Are “water” and “coffee” countable when ordering?

Colloquially, yes:

Eitt vatn, takk. = “One water, please.” (neuter numeral eitt)
Eitt kaffi, takk. = “One coffee, please.” More explicit: Einn kaffibolli (one cup of coffee), ein vatnsflaska (a bottle of water).

What case comes after en in comparisons?

Use the case the element would have on its own. With pronouns in subject comparisons, nominative is standard: Ég er eldri en þú (not þig). In this sentence, both compared items are direct objects, so they match the object case (here it isn’t visible because they’re neuter singular).

Can I say “instead of coffee” with another construction?

Yes:

Ég vil vatn í staðinn fyrir kaffi. (= instead of coffee; very common) You can also see í stað with a genitive in formal style: í stað kaffis, but í staðinn fyrir
- accusative is more everyday.