Ég vil ekki missa lykilinn.

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Breakdown of Ég vil ekki missa lykilinn.

• ekki: not
• vilja: to want
• lykillinn: the key

Questions & Answers about Ég vil ekki missa lykilinn.

Why does ekki come after vil and not before it?

In Icelandic main clauses, the finite verb (the one that’s conjugated for person/tense) normally comes in second position, and ekki usually comes right after that verb:

• Ég vil ekki missa lykilinn.
  Subject – finite verb – ekki – infinitive – object

Putting ekki before the finite verb (Ég ekki vil…) is wrong in normal prose and sounds either ungrammatical or highly poetic/archaic. So:

• Correct: Ég vil ekki missa lykilinn.
• Incorrect in normal speech: Ég ekki vil missa lykilinn.

What is the role of vil and why is there another verb missa after it?