Hann bíður við hurðina.

He waits by the door.

Breakdown of Hann bíður við hurðina.

• hann: he
• hurðin: the door
• bíða: to wait
• við: by

Questions & Answers about Hann bíður við hurðina.

Which case is used on the word hurðina, and why?

It’s accusative singular definite. The preposition við always governs the accusative case, and hurð (door) is a feminine noun. With the definite article, accusative singular becomes hurðina (nom. sg. definite would be hurðin).

Why is it bíður and not something like bíð or bíðar?

It’s the 3rd person singular present of the strong verb bíða (to wait). Present tense:

• ég bíð
• þú bíður
• hann/hún/það bíður
• við bíðum
• þið bíðið
• þeir/þær/þau bíða

So with subject Hann, the form is bíður.

Is there a difference between bíður and býður? They look almost the same.

Yes—different verbs and meanings:

• bíða → bíður = to wait
• bjóða → býður = to offer/invite Watch the vowels: í (in bíður) vs ý (in býður).

Can I say the progressive form, like “He is waiting at the door”?

Yes: Hann er að bíða við hurðina. In Icelandic, both the simple present (Hann bíður…) and the progressive (Hann er að bíða…) can describe an ongoing action. The progressive puts a bit more emphasis on the “right now” aspect.

What exactly does við mean here, and what nuances does it have?

Here við means “by/at/next to,” implying proximity (often quite close, sometimes almost touching). Other common meanings:

• “against” (physical or figurative): halla sér við vegginn (lean against the wall), berjast við (fight against)
• “to” (with verbs like “talk to”): tala við einhvern It always takes the accusative.

Why isn’t it hurðinni (dative) since he’s at a location?

Because the case is determined by the preposition. Some location prepositions take dative for static location (e.g., á, í), but við always takes the accusative—hence við hurðina. If you used hjá (which takes dative), you’d get hjá hurðinni, but that typically means “at someone’s place/with someone,” and with inanimate objects it often sounds odd; við hurðina is the natural choice.

Could I say dyrnar instead of hurðina?

You can, but it changes the nuance:

• hurð = the door leaf/panel itself → við hurðina (“by the door”)
• dyr (pluralia tantum) = doorway/entrance → við dyrnar (“by the doorway/entrance”) Both are common; pick the one your context needs.

How do I pronounce the whole sentence?

Approximate IPA: [hanː ˈpiːðʏr vɪð ˈhʏrðɪna]

• Stress is always on the first syllable of each word; main stress on bí- in bíður.
• í in bíður is like long “ee.”
• ð is the voiced “th” of “this.”
• u in hurðina is a short, fronted “u,” similar to the vowel in English “put,” but tighter.
• Double nn in Hann gives a long [nː].

Can I change the word order?

Yes—main clauses are verb-second:

• Neutral: Hann bíður við hurðina.
• Front the place phrase: Við hurðina bíður hann. (verb still in 2nd position)
• Yes/no question: Bíður hann við hurðina?

How do I say “He is waiting for her at the door”?

Use bíða eftir + dative for “wait for”:

• Hann bíður eftir henni við hurðina. You can also use the progressive: Hann er að bíða eftir henni við hurðina.

What are the past forms of bíða?

Principal parts: bíða – beið – biðum – beðið

• Simple past: Hann beið við hurðina.
• Perfect: Hann hefur beðið við hurðina.

What’s the imperative for “Wait at the door!”?

• Singular: Bíddu við hurðina!
• Plural: Bíðið við hurðina! Note that Bíddu! is also a common conversational filler meaning roughly “hang on.”

How does hurð decline?

Key forms:

• Singular (indef.): nom hurð, acc hurð, dat hurð, gen hurðar
• Singular (def.): nom hurðin, acc hurðina, dat hurðinni, gen hurðarinnar
• Plural (indef.): nom/acc hurðir, dat hurðum, gen hurða
• Plural (def.): nom/acc hurðirnar, dat hurðunum, gen hurðanna

Does Hann always refer to a male person?

Yes, Hann = “he.” Icelandic nouns have grammatical gender, so inanimate nouns like hurð (feminine) would be referred to as hún (“she/it”) if you used a pronoun for them. In this sentence, Hann clearly refers to a male person.

How would I say “He waits by a door,” not a specific one?

Indefinite reference is trickier in Icelandic because the definite article is suffixed. You can say:

• Hann bíður við einhverja hurð. (“at some door”)
• If true indefiniteness is fine to downplay, many contexts simply use the definite: Hann bíður við hurðina (natural if a door is contextually understood).