Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Núna leigjum við litla íbúð nálægt háskólanum. - Now we rent a small apartment near the university.

The first slot in the sentence is usually for some element you want to highlight (here: Núna = now).
The second slot is for the finite verb (here: leigjum).
The subject (við = we) then comes after the verb.

So the structure is:

Núna (time adverb) – leigjum (verb) – við (subject) – litla íbúð nálægt háskólanum (rest).

You could also say:

Við leigjum núna litla íbúð nálægt háskólanum.

This is also correct. But in any case, the finite verb must stay in second position in a main clause.

What is the base form (infinitive) of leigjum, and how is it conjugated?

The infinitive is að leigja = to rent (either to rent something or to rent out something).

Leigjum is 1st person plural, present tense:

ég leigi – I rent
þú leigir – you (sg.) rent
hann/hún/það leigir – he/she/it rents
við leigjum – we rent
þið leigið – you (pl.) rent
þeir/þær/þau leigja – they rent

So the ending -um on leigjum marks “we” in the present tense.

Why is litla íbúð in this form instead of lítil íbúð?

Íbúð is a feminine noun, and here it is the direct object of leigjum, so it’s in the accusative case.

Nominative (subject): lítil íbúð – a small apartment
Accusative (direct object): litla íbúð – a small apartment (as object)

The adjective lítill (= small) must agree with the noun in:

gender: feminine
number: singular
case: accusative

So:

lítill (masc. nom. sg.)
lítil (fem. nom. sg.)
lítið (neut. nom./acc. sg.)
litla (fem. acc. sg.) → used here.

We use litla because íbúð is feminine accusative singular as a direct object.

Why does leigja take the accusative case for litla íbúð?

Many Icelandic verbs govern a specific case for their direct object. The verb leigja (to rent) typically takes the accusative for the thing that is rented.

So:

Við leigjum litla íbúð. – We rent a small apartment.
- litla íbúð = accusative object.

This is simply a property of the verb leigja: to rent something → something is in the accusative.

What does nálægt mean, and why is háskólanum in this form?

Nálægt is a preposition (also an adjective) meaning near / close to. As a preposition it governs the dative case.

The noun háskóli (university) has:

Nominative singular indefinite: háskóli
Dative singular indefinite: háskóla
Dative singular definite: háskólanum (háskóla + -num)

Since nálægt requires the dative, and we’re saying “near the university”, we get:

nálægt háskólanum – near the university (dative definite).

If you omitted the article, you’d have nálægt háskóla – near a university (much less specific).

What is the difference between háskóli, háskólann, and háskólanum?

All three come from the same noun háskóli = university:

háskóli – nominative singular, indefinite
- e.g. Háskóli er í þessari borg. – A university is in this town.
háskólann – accusative singular, definite
- e.g. Ég sé háskólann. – I see the university.
háskólanum – dative singular, definite
- e.g. Ég er nálægt háskólanum. – I am near the university.

In the sentence nálægt háskólanum, the dative appears because nálægt governs the dative.

Could I say við erum að leigja litla íbúð instead of við leigjum litla íbúð? Is that more like English “are renting”?

Yes, við erum að leigja litla íbúð is grammatically correct and does resemble English “we are renting a small apartment” more literally.

However, Icelandic usually uses the simple present (við leigjum) for both:

present habitual: We rent / We usually rent
present ongoing: We are renting (right now)

The “vera + að + infinitive” construction (við erum að leigja) tends to emphasize the ongoing process, similar to the English progressive, but it’s not needed nearly as often as in English. In neutral style, við leigjum litla íbúð is perfectly natural for “we are renting a small apartment (now)”.

Can Núna appear somewhere else in the sentence?

Yes. Núna is a time adverb and can move around fairly freely, as long as the finite verb stays in second position in a main clause.

Some valid options:

Núna leigjum við litla íbúð nálægt háskólanum. (time first, then verb)
Við leigjum núna litla íbúð nálægt háskólanum.
Við leigjum litla íbúð núna nálægt háskólanum. (less common, but possible)

What you cannot do is break the V2 rule, e.g.:

✗ Núna við leigjum litla íbúð… (wrong word order in Icelandic)

What is the difference between núna and nú?

Both can mean now, but there is a nuance:

núna
- Very common in spoken language.
- Often refers to the current period / the present time, sometimes a bit more extended.
- Núna leigjum við litla íbúð → At this point in time we rent / are renting a small apartment.
nú
- Also means now, but can sound a bit more formal, literary, or stylistically marked in some contexts.
- Often used in set phrases or to mark a change: Nú skaltu hlusta. – Now you shall listen.

In everyday speech about your current situation, núna is the safest, most neutral choice.

Why do we say við and not drop the pronoun, like in some other languages?

Icelandic does not generally allow dropping subject pronouns the way Spanish or Italian does. The verb ending -um in leigjum shows that the subject is we, but you still normally must say the pronoun:

Við leigjum litla íbúð. – correct
✗ Leigjum litla íbúð. – usually incorrect as a normal statement

You can leave out við in some imperatives or special constructions, but in a normal declarative sentence like this, the subject pronoun is required.

What exactly does íbúð mean? Is it always an “apartment”?

Íbúð most commonly means apartment / flat – a self-contained living unit within a building.

Some nuance:

íbúð – usually an apartment (could be rented or owned)
hús – house (a separate building)
herbergi – a room

So litla íbúð is naturally understood as a small apartment. In some contexts íbúð can also mean dwelling, residence in a broader sense, but everyday usage is “apartment.”

How are nálægt and við háskólann different, if I want to say “near the university”?

Both can express proximity, but with slightly different flavors:

nálægt háskólanum – near / close to the university
- Explicitly means in the vicinity of the university.
við háskólann – literally by / at / next to the university
- Often implies being right by the university, adjacent to it.

So:

Við búum nálægt háskólanum. – We live near the university (somewhere in the area).
Við búum við háskólann. – We live right by the university (almost attached to it).

In your sentence, nálægt háskólanum is the more neutral way to say “near the university.”

How are lítil, litla, and smá different when saying “small apartment”?

All relate to smallness, but they behave differently:

lítil / litla come from the adjective lítill = small
- They inflect for gender, number, and case and must agree with the noun.
- lítil íbúð – nominative feminine singular
- litla íbúð – accusative feminine singular (used in your sentence)
smá is usually an indeclinable adverb or adjective-like word meaning a little / a bit / small-ish:
- smá íbúð is colloquial and can be heard, but it’s more like a tiny / very small apartment and is less grammatically strict than lítil/litil.

For correct, standard grammar in a sentence like this, litla íbúð is best, because the adjective agrees properly with íbúð in gender, number, and case.