Ég á bankakort.

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Breakdown of Ég á bankakort.

• eiga: to have
• bankakort: the bank card

Questions & Answers about Ég á bankakort.

Why is it ég á and not ég hef?

Icelandic distinguishes between kinds of “have”:

• að eiga (ég á…) = to own/possess something as yours. That’s what you want for a card you own.
• að hafa (ég hef…) = to have in a broad or formal sense; common in set phrases (e.g., hef áhuga “have interest”, hef tíma “have time”). It’s not the everyday choice for owning physical items.
• að vera með (ég er með…) = to have with you/at hand. Use this for “I have a bank card on me.”

So: Ég á bankakort = I own a bank card; Ég er með bankakort = I have a bank card with me right now.

What case is bankakort in, and why?

The verb að eiga takes a direct object in the accusative. Bankakort is neuter; in the singular, nominative and accusative look the same, so you see bankakort either way. Other singular cases:

• Dative: bankakorti
• Genitive: bankakorts

How do I say “the bank card” or “my bank card”?

Icelandic adds the definite article as a suffix:

• “the bank card” = bankakortið
• “my bank card” = bankakortið mitt There’s no separate word for the indefinite article “a/an,” so plain bankakort already means “a bank card.”

How do I make it plural, and how do I say “I have two bank cards”?