Ég set tölvuna og glósubókina í töskuna.

I put the computer and the notebook into the bag.

Breakdown of Ég set tölvuna og glósubókina í töskuna.

• ég: I
• setja: to put
• og: and
• í: into
• tölvan: the computer
• glósubókin: the notebook
• taskan: the bag

Questions & Answers about Ég set tölvuna og glósubókina í töskuna.

Why do tölvuna, glósubókina, and töskuna have those endings?

They’re definite nouns in the accusative singular.

• tölvuna = tölvu (accusative of tölva, f.) + definite ending -na → the computer
• glósubókina = glósubók (accusative of glósubók, f.) + definite ending -ina → the notebook
• töskuna = tösku (accusative of taska, f., with umlaut) + -na → the bag

Rule of thumb:

• Feminine nouns ending in -a take -na in definite accusative: tölvu + na, tösku + na.
• Feminine nouns not ending in -a (like bók) take -ina: bók + ina → bókina, hence glósubókina.

Why is everything in the accusative here?

Because:

• The direct objects of setja are accusative (tölvuna, glósubókina).
• The preposition í takes accusative when it expresses motion into somewhere: í töskuna.

For location (no movement), í takes dative: í töskunni (in the bag).

When would I use the dative with í instead?

Use dative for static location:

• Motion: Ég set tölvuna í töskuna. (accusative, into)
• Location: Tölvan er í töskunni. (dative, in)

Same idea with á:

• Motion onto: á borðið (acc.)
• Location on: á borðinu (dat.)

How do I say this without the definite “the”?

Icelandic has no separate word for a/an. Make the nouns indefinite by removing the definite endings:

• Ég set tölvu og glósubók í tösku. = I put a computer and a notebook in a bag. You can also keep some nouns definite depending on context:
• Ég set tölvu og glósubók í töskuna. = … into the bag.

To emphasize “one,” you can use the numeral:

• Ég set eina glósubók í töskuna.

Why is it glósubókina with -ina but tölvuna/töskuna with -na?

Because glósubók (like bók) is a feminine noun not ending in -a; its definite accusative singular uses -ina: bók → bókina, glósubók → glósubókina.
Feminine -a nouns (like tölva, taska) use -na after their accusative stem: tölvu + na → tölvuna, tösku + na → töskuna.

What’s going on with the vowel change a → ö in töskuna?

That’s u-umlaut: an a in the stem changes to ö when a following ending contains u. The oblique singular forms of taska have a u in the ending, so the stem vowel umlauts:

• taska (nom) → tösku (acc/dat/gen base) → töskuna (definite acc), töskunni (definite dat).

Can I change the word order?

Neutral order is Subject–Verb–Objects–Place:

• Ég set tölvuna og glósubókina í töskuna.

You can front the place phrase for emphasis:

• Í töskuna set ég tölvuna og glósubókina.

Keep the destination at the end if it applies to both objects; splitting it can sound awkward.

How do I make this a yes/no question?

Invert to Verb–Subject (verb in 2nd position):

• Set ég tölvuna og glósubókina í töskuna? For 2nd person:
• Seturðu tölvuna og glósubókina í töskuna?

How do I negate it?

Place ekki after the finite verb:

• Ég set ekki tölvuna og glósubókina í töskuna.

Is this present or past? English “I put” is ambiguous.

Here it’s present: Ég set = I put / I am putting (Icelandic present covers both simple and progressive).
Past would be:

• Ég setti tölvuna og glósubókina í töskuna. = I put (past).

What are the main forms of the verb setja (to put)?

• Infinitive: setja
• Present: ég set, þú setur, hann/hún setur, við setjum, þið setjið, þeir/þær/þau setja
• Past: ég setti …
• With hafa: hafa sett (have put)

Could I say inn í instead of í?

Yes. inn í emphasizes movement into:

• Ég set tölvuna og glósubókina inn í töskuna. With location (no movement), use only í: Tölvan er í töskunni.

Is glósubók the usual word for notebook?

glósubók is specifically a notebook for study notes (glósur). Common general options:

• stílabók = exercise book/notebook
• minnisbók = notebook/diary (for notes, reminders)

How do I make some of the nouns plural?

• glósubók → plural nom glósubækur; definite acc pl glósubækurnar.
• tölva → plural acc tölvur; definite acc pl tölvurnar. Examples:
• Ég set tölvuna og glósubækurnar í töskuna.
• Ég set tölvurnar og glósubækurnar í töskuna.

Can I drop the subject pronoun like in Spanish?

No. Icelandic is generally not a pro-drop language. You keep Ég:

• Ég set … Only imperatives drop the subject: Settu tölvuna í töskuna! (Put the computer in the bag!)

Any quick pronunciation tips for the tricky bits?

• Ég: starts with a y-sound; the final g is very soft.
• ö (in töskuna): like French eu in “peur.”
• ó (in glósubókina): long “oh.”
• í: like English “ee.” Stress is on the first syllable of each word: Ég SET TÖL-vu-na og GLÓ-su-bó-ki-na í TÖS-ku-na.