Ég fer reglulega í bókasafnið.

I go to the library regularly.

Breakdown of Ég fer reglulega í bókasafnið.

• ég: I
• fara: to go
• í: to
• bókasafnið: the library
• reglulega: regularly

Questions & Answers about Ég fer reglulega í bókasafnið.

What does each word in Ég fer reglulega í bókasafnið literally mean?

Broken down:

• Ég – I (first person singular pronoun).
• fer – go (first person singular present tense of the verb fara, “to go”).
• reglulega – regularly, on a regular basis.
• í – to / into / in, here meaning to/into the library (motion towards a place).
• bókasafnið – the library. Literally: bóka (books, genitive plural of bók, “book”) + safn (collection, museum, gathering) + -ið (definite article ending for neuter nouns in the accusative singular). So literally “the collection of books.”

Why is it fer and not just the infinitive form fara?

In Icelandic, as in English, you don’t use the infinitive in a normal present-tense statement.

• fara = to go (infinitive).
• fer = I go or I am going (present tense, 1st person singular).

Conjugation (present tense of fara):

• ég fer – I go
• þú ferð – you go (singular)
• hann / hún / það fer – he / she / it goes
• við förum – we go
• þið farið – you go (plural)
• þeir / þær / þau fara – they go

So in a simple sentence with Ég, you must use fer, not fara.

Why use fara / fer instead of a verb that literally means “walk,” like ganga?

fara is a general verb meaning to go / to travel / to leave, and it’s the default for saying you go somewhere.

• Ég fer í bókasafnið – I go to the library. (Doesn’t specify how: walking, driving, biking, etc.)
• Ég geng í bókasafnið – I walk to the library. (Explicitly on foot.)

So fara is like English go, and ganga is more like walk. In everyday speech about regular visits, Ég fer reglulega í bókasafnið is the natural choice.

What is the difference between Ég fer reglulega í bókasafnið and Ég er að fara í bókasafnið?

They describe different kinds of time:

• Ég fer reglulega í bókasafnið.
  – Habitual: I regularly go to the library (part of a routine).

• Ég er að fara í bókasafnið.
  – Right now / about to happen: I am (in the process of) going to the library / I’m on my way to the library.

So:

• Present simple (Ég fer) = habits, routines, general facts.
• Ég er að fara = action happening now / about to happen, similar to English present continuous (“I’m going / I’m about to go”).

Why is reglulega placed between fer and í? Could I move it?

The adverb reglulega is quite flexible in position. All of these are grammatical:

• Ég fer reglulega í bókasafnið.
• Ég fer í bókasafnið reglulega.
• Ég fer mjög reglulega í bókasafnið.

The most common, neutral position is often right after the verb: Ég fer reglulega í bókasafnið.

Moving reglulega can slightly change emphasis or rhythm, but not the basic meaning. For a learner, putting adverbs like reglulega after the verb is a good default.

What exactly does reglulega mean, and how is it different from words like oft or venjulega?

• reglulega – regularly, on a regular schedule, often implying some pattern (e.g., every week).
• oft – often, frequently, but not necessarily in a strict pattern.
• venjulega – usually, normally, what typically happens.

Examples:

• Ég fer reglulega í bókasafnið. – I go on a regular basis (e.g., twice a week).
• Ég fer oft í bókasafnið. – I go to the library often (frequently, but maybe irregular).
• Ég fer venjulega í bókasafnið á föstudögum. – I usually go to the library on Fridays.

They can overlap in meaning, but reglulega focuses most clearly on a regular pattern.

Why is the preposition í used here, and not something like á?

In Icelandic, í is used for going into / to enclosed spaces or interiors, such as:

• í skólann – to (into) the school
• í búðina – to the shop
• í bíó – to the cinema
• í bókasafnið – to the library

á is more often used for surfaces, open places, or some idiomatic locations:

• á ströndina – to the beach
• á markaðinn – to the market
• á barinn – to the bar

A library is conceived as an interior space you go into, so í is the normal preposition: í bókasafnið.

Why is it bókasafnið and not just bókasafn? What does the -ið ending do?

The -ið ending is the definite article for neuter nouns in the singular (here in the accusative case). Icelandic doesn’t use a separate word like “the”; instead, it attaches a suffix:

• bókasafn – a library / library (indefinite)
• bókasafnið – the library (definite)

More examples with a neuter noun:

• hús – a house
• húsið – the house

In your sentence, bókasafnið = the library. So Ég fer reglulega í bókasafnið = I regularly go to *the library*, not just “a library.”

Which grammatical case is bókasafnið in, and why?

bókasafnið is in the accusative singular.

Reason: In Icelandic, many prepositions, including í, change case depending on whether there is movement (towards/into) or static location.

• Movement (to / into) → accusative
  
  • Ég fer í bókasafnið. – I go to the library.
• Location (in / at) → dative
  
  • Ég er í bókasafninu. – I am in the library.

So:
í + accusative = direction / movement (into)
í + dative = location / being inside

That’s why you see bókasafnið (accusative) in the sentence with fer (go).

What kind of noun is bókasafn, and what does it literally consist of?

bókasafn is:

• Neuter gender.
• A compound noun:
  
  • bóka- – “of books” (genitive plural of bók, “book”)
  • safn – “collection / museum / set / gathering”

So literally: book-collection → library.

Declension pattern (singular):

• Nominative: bókasafn (a library)
• Accusative: bókasafn (same form)
• Dative: bókasafni
• Genitive: bókasafns

With the definite article, accusative singular becomes bókasafnið (the library).

Can I drop Ég and just say Fer reglulega í bókasafnið like in Spanish or Italian?

Normally, no. Icelandic is not a “null subject” language; it usually requires the subject pronoun:

• Ég fer reglulega í bókasafnið. – Correct, natural.
• Fer reglulega í bókasafnið. – Feels incomplete in standard Icelandic.

You might see the subject omitted in very informal contexts like short notes or messages (similar to English “Going to the library now”), but in proper, full sentences and especially as a learner, always include the subject pronoun: Ég.

How is Ég fer reglulega í bókasafnið pronounced? Any tricky sounds for English speakers?

Approximate pronunciation (in simple English-friendly terms):

• Ég – often like “yeah” but with a slight y-eh sound, sometimes closer to “yehg.” The g can be weak or almost silent.
• fer – roughly “fehr” (short e as in “bed”).
• reglulega – “REG-lu-le-ga”
  
  • reg – “reg” as in “regular,” but g often softened; the r is rolled or tapped.
  • lu – like “loo” but shorter.
  • lega – “leh-ga” (g pronounced).
• í – long “ee” sound, like “see.”
• bókasafnið – “BOH-ka-saf-nith”
  
  • bó – “boh” with a long o.
  • ka – “ka” (as in “car” but shorter).
  • safn – “safn”; the fn cluster is pronounced together.
  • ið – approximately “ith” / “yith” (ð is like the “th” in “this”).

Most common challenges for English speakers:

• Rolled or tapped r.
• The ð sound in -ið (like voiced “th” in “this”).
• Getting the vowel lengths right (í and ó are long).

Why is the English translation usually “I go to the library regularly” and not “I am going regularly to the library”?

Icelandic present tense fer covers both:

• English I go (habitual / regular action)
• English I am going (current action, depending on context or with að construction)

In Ég fer reglulega í bókasafnið, the adverb reglulega clearly marks a habitual action. So the natural English translation is:

• I go to the library regularly.
  or
• I regularly go to the library.

If you wanted to talk about a current, ongoing action, Icelandic would typically use Ég er að fara í bókasafnið (I am going / about to go to the library), which is a different nuance.