Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Við eigum einfaldar reglur heima.

In this context, við eigum einfaldar reglur heima is best translated as we have simple rules at home, but it can also feel slightly like we “own” / “set” the rules there, i.e., they are our rules.

Why does the adjective einfaldar end in -ar here?

Einfaldar is the adjective einfaldur (simple) agreeing with the noun reglur (rules).

Regla (a rule) is feminine.
Here it is plural (rules).
It functions as the direct object of eigum → accusative case.
For feminine plural, both nominative and accusative use -ar in this adjective.

Strong adjective pattern (nominative plural):

masculine: einfaldir
feminine: einfaldar
neuter: einföld

Accusative plural:

masculine: einfaldar
feminine: einfaldar
neuter: einföld

So with reglur (feminine plural object), the correct form is einfaldar reglur.

What are the gender, number, and case of reglur, and why that form?

Reglur is:

Gender: feminine (from regla = a rule)
Number: plural (rules)
Case: accusative, because it is the direct object of eigum (we have what? → rules).

For regla:

singular nominative: regla
plural nominative: reglur
plural accusative: reglur

In this noun, nominative plural and accusative plural look the same (reglur). The grammar reason is: verb eiga takes its object in the accusative.

Why is there no preposition before heima? Why not something like á heima or í heima?

Heima is an adverb, not a regular noun phrase. It already means at home by itself, so it does not normally take a preposition.

Compare:

heima – at home (location)
heim – (to) home, homewards (direction)

Examples:

Ég er heima. – I am at home.
Ég fer heim. – I am going home.

So Við eigum einfaldar reglur heima literally has heima as a place adverb: We have simple rules at home. Putting a preposition before heima would be ungrammatical in standard Icelandic.

Could I say Við höfum einfaldar reglur heima instead of Við eigum einfaldar reglur heima?

You can say Við höfum einfaldar reglur heima, and it is understandable and not wrong, but eiga is often more natural when talking about things you possess in a more “belonging to us” sense (including abstract things like reglur, réttindi, etc.).

Nuance (very general):

eiga – own, have something as yours: Við eigum hús, Við eigum reglur.
hafa – have, hold, be in possession / in a state: Ég hef tíma, Hún hefur rétt fyrir sér.

In this specific sentence, eiga feels more idiomatic for “they are our rules that we live by at home,” but hafa is not grammatically wrong.

Why is heima at the end of the sentence? Can I move it earlier, like Við eigum heima einfaldar reglur?

Typical neutral Icelandic word order keeps:

Subject – Við
Verb – eigum
Main object – einfaldar reglur
Place and time adverbs later – heima

So Við eigum einfaldar reglur heima is the neutral word order.

You can move heima for emphasis or style:

Heima eigum við einfaldar reglur. – At home we have simple rules (contrast with other places).

But Við eigum heima einfaldar reglur is not natural; heima does not normally split the verb and its main object like that.

Can the sentence also mean Our rules at home are simple, not just We have simple rules at home?

The literal structure is a have/own construction:

subject: Við – we
verb: eigum – have
object: einfaldar reglur – simple rules
place adverbial: heima – at home

So the primary meaning is We have simple rules at home.

However, in natural interpretation, this is very close to The rules we have at home are simple or Our rules at home are simple. Icelandic often uses eiga + object where English might rephrase with be + adjective about “our” things.

Why is the plural of regla → reglur and not something like reglar?

Many feminine nouns ending in -a in the singular form their plural with -ur:

bók → bækur (irregular stem, but same -ur ending)
saga → sögur
kona → konur
regla → reglur

So:

singular: regla
plural: reglur

The -ur ending is a common feminine plural ending. Reglar does not match the usual feminine pattern for this noun class.

Why can’t I say einföld reglur instead of einfaldar reglur?

Einföld is the feminine singular nominative form of the adjective (used with a single feminine subject, like einföld regla = a simple rule).

Forms of this adjective (nominative, strong):

masculine sg.: einfaldur
feminine sg.: einföld
neuter sg.: einfalt
masculine pl.: einfaldir
feminine pl.: einfaldar
neuter pl.: einföld

Since reglur is feminine plural, the adjective also has to be feminine plural → einfaldar.

einföld regla – a simple rule
einfaldar reglur – simple rules

How is Við eigum einfaldar reglur heima pronounced?

Approximate pronunciation (IPA, with Icelandic stress always on the first syllable of each word):

Við – [vɪːð] (the ð is like the soft th in then)
eigum – [ˈeiːɣʏm] (the g is a soft [ɣ], not a hard g)
einfaldar – [ˈeiːnˌfaltar] or [ˈeiːmˌfaltar] (the f can assimilate to [m] before f/v in fast speech)
reglur – [ˈrɛklʏr] (the g often sounds closer to a [k]-like sound here)
heima – [ˈheiːma]

Roughly in English-friendly terms:

Við eigum einfaldar reglur heima ≈ “Vith ei-yum ayn-fal-dar rek-lyr hay-ma”
(with more aspirated k/hard consonants than in English).