Ég kveiki á lampanum, svo les ég bók.

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Breakdown of Ég kveiki á lampanum, svo les ég bók.

• bókin: the book
• lesa: to read
• kveikja á: to turn on

Questions & Answers about Ég kveiki á lampanum, svo les ég bók.

What does the verb phrase in Ég kveiki á lampanum literally mean?

Kveikja á + dative is the idiomatic way to say to turn on (a device/light) in Icelandic. So Ég kveiki á lampanum = I turn on the lamp. Here, á is required by the verb in this meaning; it’s not optional.

Why is it á lampanum and not just lampann?

For switching on/off devices, Icelandic uses the pattern kveikja á + dative / slökkva á + dative. The noun therefore goes in the dative (and is often definite if you mean a particular lamp): lampanum. Using a bare direct object (kveikja lampann) would mean “light the lamp” (with a flame), and sounds odd for an electric lamp.

What case is lampanum, and how is that form built?

Lampanum is dative singular, definite:

• Base noun: lampi (masc.)
• Dative singular (indefinite): lampa
• Add the definite article suffix for masc. dative sg: -num
• Result: lampanum = the lamp (dative)

Does á always take the dative?