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Questions & Answers about Ég spara peninga.
How do I pronounce the sentence?
- Ég: roughly like “yeh” with a long vowel; IPA approx. [jɛː] (many speakers have a very weak or no final [ɣ]).
- spara: stress on the first syllable; IPA approx. [ˈspaːra]. The r is tapped/trilled.
- peninga: stress on the first syllable; IPA approx. [ˈpʰɛːnɪŋka]. The cluster ng is pronounced like “ngk,” so the g sounds like a k.
- Stress is always on the first syllable of Icelandic words: SPAR-a, PEN-ing-a.
Why is it peninga and not peningar?
Because peninga is the accusative plural, used for the direct object of the verb. spara takes its object in the accusative.
- Nominative plural (subject): peningar
- Accusative plural (object): peninga
So in Ég spara peninga, the money is the thing being saved → accusative plural.
Shouldn’t “money” be singular like in English?
In Icelandic, general “money” is usually plural: peningar.
- peningur (singular) most often means “a coin.”
- Ég spara pening would sound like “I save a coin” (odd unless that’s literally what you mean).
Use peninga (acc. pl.) for “money” as a general object.
What’s the difference between Ég spara peninga and Ég er að spara peninga?
Both are correct, but the nuance differs:
- Ég spara peninga = a general/habitual statement (“I save money” as a rule).
- Ég er að spara peninga = ongoing/progressive (“I’m saving money right now / these days”).
In casual speech, vera að- infinitive is common to emphasize an ongoing activity.
Where do adverbs go, and what about word order (V2)?
Icelandic main clauses are V2: the finite verb is in second position.
- Neutral order (SVO): Ég spara peninga núna.
- If you front an adverb, the verb still stays second: Núna spara ég peninga.
Negation and many adverbs typically follow the verb: Ég spara ekki peninga.
How do I negate the sentence?
Put ekki after the verb: Ég spara ekki peninga.
If you front something (V2 still applies): Núna spara ég ekki peninga.
Can I drop the subject like in Spanish or Italian?
No. Icelandic is not a “null-subject” language. You normally keep the subject pronoun: Ég spara peninga, not just Spara peninga (unless it’s an imperative/command).
Is ég always capitalized like English “I”?
No. ég is only capitalized at the start of a sentence (or for normal proper-noun reasons). Icelandic doesn’t capitalize the first-person pronoun by default the way English does. Also, é is a distinct letter; write ég, not eg.
How does spara conjugate?
Present indicative:
- ég spara, þú sparar, hann/hún/það sparar, við spörum, þið sparið, þeir/þær/þau spara.
Past indicative: - ég sparaði, þú sparaðir, hann/hún/það sparaði, við spöruðum, þið spöruðuð, þeir/þær/þau spöruðu.
Perfect: ég hef sparað.
Note the vowel change a → ö in forms like við spörum / við spöruðum (see below).
Why does it become spörum (with ö) in við spörum?
That’s u-umlaut: an older sound change where a in the stem becomes ö when a u appears in the ending. With -um (we), you get spörum. You see the same in tala → við tölum.
When would I use the definite form “the money,” i.e., peningana?
Use the definite when you mean specific money already known in context:
- Ég spara peningana = “I’m saving the money (we talked about).”
Indefinite/general stays peninga: Ég spara peninga = “I save money (in general).”
What’s the difference between spara and safna?
- spara = to save by economizing or not spending (money, time, energy). Takes accusative: Ég spara peninga.
- safna = to collect/gather/save up (often toward a goal). Takes dative: Ég safna peningum.
To express “save up for [something]”: - Ég er að safna fyrir bíl (dative: bíl).
You’ll also hear spara fyrir with the dative in the same meaning: Ég er að spara fyrir bíl.
What gender is peningar, and how do I refer back to it with a pronoun?
peningar is masculine plural.
- Nominative: þeir (they)
- Accusative: þá (them) → Ég spara þá (“I save them”)
- Dative: þeim
- Genitive: þeirra
Context distinguishes þá (them) from the adverb þá (then).
Any quick spelling tips for these words?
- Ég always with é; it’s a different letter and sound from e.
- peninga ends with -a here because it’s accusative plural.
- Icelandic has many sound-to-spelling quirks (e.g., ng → “ngk” sound), so learn the standard spellings even if the pronunciation shifts.
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