Mig langar að drekka vatn.

to drink

Breakdown of Mig langar að drekka vatn.

• vatnið: the water
• mig: me
• langa: to want

Questions & Answers about Mig langar að drekka vatn.

Why is it mig and not ég?

Because langa is an impersonal verb that takes the experiencer in the accusative case. So instead of nominative ég, you use accusative mig.

• 1st sg: mig
• 2nd sg: þig
• 3rd sg: hann/hana/það
• 1st pl: okkur
• 2nd pl: ykkur
• 3rd pl: þá/þær/þau

Examples: Mig langar, Þig langar, Okkur langar.

Why is langar in third person singular even though I’m the one who wants something?

With impersonal verbs like langa, the verb defaults to 3rd person singular and does not agree with the experiencer. That’s why it’s always langar in the present, no matter who feels the desire:

• Mig langar, Þig langar, Okkur langar (all use langar). Past tense is langaði: Mig langaði að drekka vatn.

What does að do here? Is it “to” or “that”?

Here að is the infinitive marker “to,” introducing the verb drekka (drink). It’s not the complementizer “that” (which is also að in Icelandic). In fast speech, the ð in að often weakens or disappears before a following dental like d/t, so að drekka often sounds like “a drekka.”

Why is bare and not or ?