Mig langar að borða eitthvað núna.

I want to eat something now.

Breakdown of Mig langar að borða eitthvað núna.

• borða: to eat
• núna: now
• mig: me
• langa: to want

Questions & Answers about Mig langar að borða eitthvað núna.

Why is Mig used instead of Ég in this sentence?

In Icelandic, mig is the accusative form of ég (I).

The verb langa is impersonal, which means:

• The person who feels the desire is in the accusative case.
• The verb itself stays in 3rd person singular (langar) regardless of who wants something.

So:

• Mig langar... = I want... (literally: Me wants...)
• Þig langar... = You want... (literally: You-ACC wants...)
• Hana langar... = She wants... (literally: Her-ACC wants...)

So you must use mig, not ég, with langar in this structure.

What exactly does langar mean, and why doesn’t it change with the person?