Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Ég elska leikfangið.

-ið is the definite ending for neuter singular nouns in the nominative and accusative cases.
Since leikfang is neuter, you add -ið to say the toy.

So Ég elska leikfangið means I love the toy, not just I love a toy.

What case is leikfangið in, and why?

leikfangið is in the accusative singular.

Reason:

elska (to love) is a transitive verb, so its direct object is in the accusative case.
The direct object here is leikfangið (the thing being loved).

For neuter nouns like leikfang, the nominative singular and accusative singular look the same:

nominative singular definite: leikfangið
accusative singular definite: leikfangið

So the form doesn’t change, but functionally it is accusative in this sentence.

What gender is leikfang, and how does that affect the ending?

leikfang is a neuter noun.

That matters because:

Neuter singular definite ending is -ið (for both nominative and accusative).
Masculine nouns would often take -inn (e.g. stóll → stóllinn, the chair).
Feminine nouns might take -in (e.g. bók → bókin, the book).

So:

base form: leikfang (toy)
definite singular: leikfangið (the toy)

Can I say Ég elska leikfang without -ið?

You can say Ég elska leikfang, but it changes the meaning and sounds a bit odd in isolation.

Ég elska leikfangið = I love the toy (a specific toy, known from context).
Ég elska leikfang = I love a toy / I love toy(s) (indefinite, but in practice it sounds incomplete or unusual in Icelandic).

In natural Icelandic, when you’re talking about a specific toy that you love, you almost always use the definite form: leikfangið.

If you mean toys in general, you’d normally switch to a plural:

How do I say I love toys (in general, not one specific toy)?

You would use the plural:

Ég elska leikföng. = I love toys.

Explanation:

singular: leikfang (toy)
plural: leikföng (toys)
plural definite: leikföngin (the toys)

So:

Ég elska leikföng. → general statement about toys
Ég elska leikföngin. → I love the toys (some specific set of toys already known from context)

How do you pronounce Ég elska leikfangið and especially the strange letters É and ð?

Approximate pronunciation for an English speaker:

Ég ≈ YEG (like ye in yes
- g)
elska ≈ EL-ska (short e as in bed)
leikfangið ≈ LAYK-fowng-ith

About the special letters:

É / é is like a long yeh sound; in Ég it’s close to yeh but long.
ð (called eð) is pronounced like the th in this or that, but often very soft, especially at the end of a word.

So leikfangið ends with a soft -ið [ɪð], not a hard d sound.

What is the infinitive of elska, and how is it conjugated?

The infinitive is að elska = to love.

Present tense (indicative) is:

ég elska = I love
þú elskar = you (singular) love
hann elskar = he loves
hún elskar = she loves
það elskar = it loves
við elskum = we love
þið elskið = you (plural) love
þeir / þær / þau elska = they love (masc / fem / neut)

So Ég elska leikfangið is I love the toy with ég (I) + elska (1st person singular present) + leikfangið (the toy, accusative).

Is elska used in Icelandic the same way as to love in English? Can I say Ég elska pizzu?

elska is similar to English to love, but in everyday Icelandic it often feels stronger or more emotional, and a bit more limited in use.

Ég elska þig. = I love you. (romantic or very strong affection)
Ég elska þetta lag. = I love this song. (also common and natural)

You can say Ég elska pizzu and people will understand you, but a more typical way to say you like something is:

Mér líkar pizza. = I like pizza.
Mér finnst pizza góð. = I think pizza is good / I like pizza.

So elska is okay for strong feelings (people, favourite things), but for everyday liking, learn líka as well.

Why is Ég capitalized? Is ég always written with a capital letter like English I?

No. In Icelandic, ég is not always capitalized.

Rule:

Ég is capitalized here only because it is the first word of the sentence.
In the middle of a sentence it would be written ég, with a lowercase é.

Example:

Hún segir að ég elski leikfangið.
= She says that I love the toy.

So, unlike English I, ég is normally lowercase except at the start of a sentence or in other contexts where capitalization is required.

Can I drop Ég and just say Elska leikfangið, like Spanish or Italian sometimes drop the subject?

No. Icelandic is not a “pro‑drop” language like Spanish or Italian.

You normally need to include the subject pronoun:

Ég elska leikfangið. = correct
Elska leikfangið. = incomplete / sounds like an imperative or fragment

There are special contexts where the subject can be omitted (e.g. imperatives: Vertu hér! = Be here!), but in a normal statement about yourself you must say Ég.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say Ég leikfangið elska?

The normal word order in Icelandic main clauses is:

Subject – Verb – Object (SVO), like English.

So:

Ég (subject)
elska (verb)
leikfangið (object)

→ Ég elska leikfangið.

A sentence like Ég leikfangið elska is not grammatical in normal neutral speech.

Icelandic can move elements around for emphasis (especially with adverbs, objects, etc.), but the finite verb generally stays in second position, and you do not move the object into the middle of the verb phrase randomly.

Does leikfangið necessarily mean my toy, or just the toy?

Literally, leikfangið = the toy.

Possession in Icelandic is often understood from context, so:

If the situation clearly involves your toy, Ég elska leikfangið will naturally be taken as I love my toy.
If not, it just means I love the toy (some specific toy known from context).

If you want to be explicit, you can add a possessive:

Ég elska leikfangið mitt. = I love my toy.

Here mitt is the possessive for my with a neuter singular noun.