Hún hleypur hraðar en ég.

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Breakdown of Hún hleypur hraðar en ég.

• hún: she
• en: than
• hlaupa: to run

Questions & Answers about Hún hleypur hraðar en ég.

Why is it hraðar and not hraðari?

Because you’re modifying a verb (the action “runs”), so you need an adverb.

• Adverb: hratt (fast) → comparative adverb hraðar (faster): Hún hleypur hraðar...
• Adjective: hraður (fast) → comparative adjective hraðari (faster): Hún er hraðari... (here you describe a noun/subject with “to be”)

Why is it en ég and not en mig?

In comparisons, en acts like a conjunction meaning “than,” introducing an implied clause. The pronoun after it is the subject of that implied clause, so it takes nominative case: ég. The full idea is “Hún hleypur hraðar en ég (hleyp).”

• Standard/Icelandic norm: en ég
• Colloquial speech sometimes uses en mig, but it’s considered non‑standard.

Can I write the second verb explicitly, like en ég hleyp?

Yes: Hún hleypur hraðar en ég hleyp. It’s usually omitted because it’s obvious from context, but adding it is correct and can remove ambiguity. Don’t use “do”-support; Icelandic doesn’t use gera this way, so avoid “en ég geri.”

What does en mean here, and can it also mean “but”?

Here means “than” (comparisons). In other contexts, can mean “but.” The presence of a comparative form (, , etc.) tells you it’s “than.”