Barnið situr við borðið.

the child

Breakdown of Barnið situr við borðið.

• borðið: the table
• sitja: to sit
• við: with

Questions & Answers about Barnið situr við borðið.

Why is there no separate word for “the” in Barnið situr við borðið?

Icelandic usually doesn’t use a separate word for “the”.
Instead, the definite article is attached to the end of the noun as a suffix.

• barn = child
• barnið = the child
• borð = table
• borðið = the table

So Barnið situr við borðið literally has “the” built into barnið and borðið, instead of using a separate word.

Why is it barnið and not just barn at the start of the sentence?

Because the sentence is talking about a specific, identifiable child, not just any child.
In Icelandic:

• barn situr við borð ≈ a child sits at a table (non‑specific)
• barnið situr við borðið = the child sits at the table (specific)

Adding -ið makes barn definite: the child.
So barnið is the nominative definite form of barn.

What grammatical case is barnið, and why?

Barnið is in the nominative singular.

• The nominative case is used for the subject of the sentence.
• Here, barnið (the child) is the subject – it’s the thing doing the action of sitting.

So: barnið = nominative singular definite of barn.

What case is borðið, and why does it look so similar to barnið?

Borðið is in the accusative singular.

• The preposition við always takes the accusative.
• The phrase við borðið is an object of the preposition, so borðið must be accusative.

For neuter nouns like borð, the nominative and accusative singular definite both end in -ið, so:

• barnið = nominative singular definite of barn (subject here)
• borðið = accusative singular definite of borð (object of við here)

They look similar because both are neuter singular definite forms, but they’re different nouns in different roles.

What exactly does the preposition við mean here, and why is it “at the table”?

Við is a versatile preposition that usually governs the accusative and can mean:

• at / by / near
• against
• with (especially people: vera með einhverjum við borð – be with someone at a table)
• compared with (miðað við = compared to)

In við borðið, it means “by / at the table”, i.e., the child is sitting beside or at the table, not on top of it.

Compare:

• á borðinu = on the table
• við borðið = by / at the table

Why is borðið not dative if it’s after a preposition?

In Icelandic, different prepositions require different cases. Some take:

• always accusative (e.g., við, um, gegnum)
• always dative (e.g., frá, með, hjá)
• accusative or dative depending on meaning (e.g., á, í)

Við is a preposition that always takes the accusative.
So after við, borð must be in the accusative: borðið, not a dative form.

What tense is situr, and how would I translate it into English?

Situr is present tense, 3rd person singular of the verb sitja (to sit).

Icelandic doesn’t distinguish between “sits” and “is sitting” the way English does.
Barnið situr við borðið can be translated as either:

• The child sits at the table. (general/habitual)
• The child is sitting at the table. (right now)

Context decides which English version is more natural.

How is situr related to the infinitive sitja?

The infinitive is sitja (to sit), and the present tense forms include:

• ég sit – I sit
• þú situr – you (sg.) sit
• hann / hún / það situr – he / she / it sits
• við sitjum – we sit
• þið sitjið – you (pl.) sit
• þeir / þær / þau sitja – they sit

So situr is the 3rd person singular form, used with barnið (the child).

Where is the equivalent of English “is” in this sentence?

It isn’t needed in Icelandic here.

English often uses “be” + -ing for ongoing actions:
The child *is sitting at the table.*

Icelandic just uses the simple present of the main verb:

• Barnið situr við borðið.
  = The child sits / is sitting at the table.

If you really want to emphasize the ongoing action, you can use a construction with vera + að:

• Barnið er að sitja við borðið.
  (literally: The child is to sit at the table.)

Can I change the word order to Við borðið situr barnið?

Yes, that is grammatically correct.

• Barnið situr við borðið. – neutral, subject‑first word order.
• Við borðið situr barnið. – more marked; puts emphasis or focus on “at the table” or sets the scene first (like “At the table sits the child.”).

Icelandic has a relatively flexible word order, but subject–verb–object is the most neutral style in simple statements.

How do I say “A child sits at a table” instead of “The child sits at the table”?

Icelandic has no separate word for the indefinite article “a/an”.
Indefiniteness is usually shown by:

• leaving off the definite suffix
• sometimes also using a more generic or descriptive wording

So:

• Barn situr við borð.
  ≈ A child sits at a table.

Compare:

• Barnið situr við borðið.
  = The child sits at the table. (specific child, specific table)

How do I say “The children sit at the table”?

You need the plural of barn and the plural verb:

• barn → börn (children, irregular plural with vowel change)
• definite plural: börnin = the children
• verb sitja, 3rd person plural present: sitja

For one table:

• Börnin sitja við borðið.
  = The children sit / are sitting at the table.

If there are multiple tables (and all are definite):

• Börnin sitja við borðin.
  = The children sit / are sitting at the tables.

How do you pronounce the ð in barnið and borðið?

The letter ð is pronounced like the “th” in English “this” or “that” (voiced, not like “thing”).

Approximate pronunciations:

• barnið ≈ BAR-nith (with a soft th at the end)
• borðið ≈ BOR-thith (again a soft th sound)

In natural speech, the final ð can be quite soft and may sound almost like it’s disappearing, but learners are fine aiming for a clear “th” in “this” sound.

Why do both barnið and borðið end in -ið? Does -ið always mean “the”?

Yes, here -ið is the neuter singular definite article.

• barn (neuter) → barnið = the child
• borð (neuter) → borðið = the table

For neuter nouns ending in a consonant, -ið is the regular definite ending in the singular.

Other genders have different endings:

• masculine: -inn (e.g., stóll → stóllinn, the chair)
• feminine: usually -in or -an (e.g., bók → bókin, the book)

So -ið doesn’t always mean “the” for all nouns, but it does mean “the” for neuter singular nouns like barn and borð.

Does við borðið always mean “at the table”, or can við mean other things?

In this context, við borðið is best translated as “at the table” or “by the table”.

But við has several meanings depending on context:

• by / at / near:
  
  • Hann stendur við dyrnar. – He stands by the door.
• against (physical contact):
  
  • Hún hallaði sér við vegginn. – She leaned against the wall.
• with (often about being with people):
  
  • Ég er við borð með vinum mínum. – I’m at a table with my friends.
• in comparison with:
  
  • Miðað við veðrið er þetta gott. – Compared with the weather, this is good.

So við borðið here is specifically at/by the table, but við itself has a wider range of uses.

Is there any difference between Icelandic sitja and English “sit / be sitting”?

The core meaning is the same: sitja = to sit.

The main difference is aspect:

• English distinguishes:
  • “sits” (simple, habitual, or general)
  • “is sitting” (ongoing right now)
• Icelandic sitja in the simple present (situr, sitja, etc.) covers both meanings.

So Barnið situr við borðið can correspond to either:

• The child sits at the table.
  or
• The child is sitting at the table.

Only if you really want to highlight the ongoing action would you use er að sitja, but the simple form situr is usually enough.