Strákurinn bíður í biðstofunni hjá lækninum.

The boy waits in the waiting room at the doctor’s.

Breakdown of Strákurinn bíður í biðstofunni hjá lækninum.

• í: in
• læknirinn: the doctor
• bíða: to wait
• hjá: at

Questions & Answers about Strákurinn bíður í biðstofunni hjá lækninum.

What does the ending in Strákurinn mean?

It’s the definite article “the” attached to the noun. Icelandic doesn’t use a separate word for “the.”

• strákur = boy
• strákurinn = the boy Without the ending, Strákur bíður… would mean “A boy is waiting…”

Why is it bíður and not bíða?

Bíða is the infinitive (“to wait”). Bíður is the present tense, 3rd person singular (“waits/is waiting”).

• I wait: ég bíð
• You (sg.) wait: þú bíður
• He/She/It waits: hann/hún/það bíður
• We wait: við bíðum
• You (pl.) wait: þið bíðið
• They wait: þeir/þær/þau bíða Note: Icelandic uses the simple present for both “waits” and “is waiting.”

Do I need to add eftir with bíða to mean “wait for”?

There are two ways:

• Bíða eftir
  • dative: Strákurinn bíður eftir lækninum = The boy is waiting for the doctor.
• Bíða
  • genitive (no preposition): Strákurinn bíður læknis (bookish/formal) = The boy awaits the doctor. In your sentence, there’s no object of “wait,” just the place, so bíður í… is fine.

Why is it í biðstofunni (dative) and not í biðstofuna (accusative)?