Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Ég les bók í rúminu án þess að kveikja á sjónvarpinu. - I read a book in bed without turning on the television.

The idea of “a” is just understood from context. You only mark definiteness (like “the book”) with an ending on the noun, not indefiniteness with a separate word.

How would I say “the book” instead of just “a book” here?

You use the definite form of the noun:

Ég les bókina í rúminu … = I read the book in bed …

Compare:

bók = a book (indefinite, nominative/accusative singular)
bókin = the book (definite, nominative singular)
bókina = the book (definite, accusative singular)

In the sentence, bók is the direct object of les, so it’s in the accusative. If you mean a specific book, use bókina; if it’s just some book, use bók.

Why is it í rúminu and not just í rúm?

Two things are happening:

Case: The noun is in the dative because you’re talking about location (“in bed”), and í (“in”) takes the dative when it means being somewhere (not movement).
- rúm (nom./acc. singular, “bed”)
- rúmi (dat. singular, “(in) bed”)
Definiteness: The ending -inu is the definite article in the dative neuter.
- rúm = (a) bed
- rúmið = the bed (nom./acc.)
- rúmi = (in) a bed (dat., without article)
- rúminu = (in) the bed (dat., with article)

So í rúminu literally means “in the bed”, but in English we usually just say “in bed”.

Why does í sometimes take accusative and sometimes dative?

Like in German or other Germanic languages, í works like a “two-way” preposition:

Static location (where something is) → dative
- Ég er í rúminu. = I am in bed.
Motion into something (to where something is moving) → accusative
- Ég fer í rúmið. = I go to bed / I get into bed.

In Ég les bók í rúminu …, you’re already in bed (no movement), so rúminu is dative.

What exactly does án þess að mean, and can you drop þess?

án þess að is a very common fixed expression meaning “without (doing something)” before a verb:

án þess að kveikja = without turning on
án þess að borða = without eating

The pieces:

án = without
þess = “of that” (genitive neuter of sá, “that”)
að = marker introducing an infinitive clause

You cannot normally drop þess here.
✗ án að kveikja is wrong.

So treat án þess að + infinitive as a chunk meaning “without doing X”.

Why is it kveikja á sjónvarpinu and not just kveikja sjónvarpið?

The verb kveikja in the sense of “turn on (a device, a light)” is normally used as kveikja á + dative:

kveikja á ljósinu = to turn on the light
kveikja á tölvunni = to turn on the computer
kveikja á sjónvarpinu = to turn on the TV

Literally, it’s closer to “light/ignite on the TV”, but idiomatically it just means “switch on the TV”.

So the structure is:

kveikja á
- [noun in dative]

Why is sjónvarpinu in that form? What are its main case forms?

The noun is sjónvarp (neuter, “television/TV set”). The key singular forms are:

Nominative: sjónvarp – Sjónvarpið er gamalt. (The TV is old.)
Accusative: sjónvarp – Ég keypti sjónvarp. (I bought a TV.)
Dative: sjónvarpi – Ég horfi á sjónvarpi. (I watch TV.)
Genitive: sjónvarps – hljóðið í sjónvarpsins (the sound of the TV)

Definite singular:

Nom.: sjónvarpið
Acc.: sjónvarpið
Dat.: sjónvarpinu
Gen.: sjónvarpsins

In kveikja á sjónvarpinu, á (in this verb phrase) requires the dative, so we get sjónvarpinu = “on the TV” / “the TV (as an object of ‘turn on’)”.

Could the word order be different, like putting í rúminu at the start?

Yes, Icelandic word order is fairly flexible for adverbials (time/place/manner phrases), as long as the verb stays in second position in main clauses.

All of these are possible, with slightly different emphasis:

Ég les bók í rúminu án þess að kveikja á sjónvarpinu.
Neutral: I read a book in bed without turning on the TV.
Í rúminu les ég bók án þess að kveikja á sjónvarpinu.
Emphasis on “in bed” (as opposed to somewhere else).
Ég les í rúminu bók án þess að kveikja á sjónvarpinu.
Also possible, but sounds a bit marked; learners are safer with subject – verb – object – place – other details.

The original order is the most natural and neutral.

How do Icelanders say “I am reading a book”? Does Ég les bók mean that?

Icelandic doesn’t have a separate continuous tense like English “am reading”. The simple present often covers both:

Ég les bók í rúminu …
can mean either:
- I read a book in bed … (habitually), or
- I am reading a book in bed … (right now), depending on context.

If you want to clearly stress an ongoing action, you can use vera að + infinitive:

Ég er að lesa bók í rúminu. = I’m (in the middle of) reading a book in bed.

Your sentence with Ég les bók … is totally natural; context decides whether it’s a habit or something happening now.

Can you drop Ég and just say Les bók í rúminu …?

Normally, no. Icelandic is not a “pro‑drop” language like Spanish or Italian. The subject pronoun is usually expressed:

Ég les bók í rúminu … = correct, normal
✗ Les bók í rúminu … = looks incomplete / very marked

The pronoun Ég can occasionally be omitted in poetry, headlines, or special stylistic effects, but for normal speech and writing, you should include it.

Why isn’t there an explicit “not” like ekki for “not turning on the TV”?

The negation is built into the construction án þess að + infinitive, which means “without doing X”. That already has a negative meaning, so you don’t add ekki before the verb:

án þess að kveikja á sjónvarpinu
= without turning on the TV
≈ “while not turning on the TV”

You do not say:

✗ án þess að ekki kveikja á sjónvarpinu

If you want a more explicit negative clause, you would typically switch to a finite verb and use ekki:

Ég les bók í rúminu og kveiki ekki á sjónvarpinu.
= I read a book in bed and do not turn on the TV.