Breakdown of Ég vil æfa íslenskuna daglega.
Questions & Answers about Ég vil æfa íslenskuna daglega.
“Ég vil” literally means “I want”.
- Ég = I
- vil = want (1st person singular of vilja, to want)
Yes, this is the standard and very common way to say I want in Icelandic.
Examples:
- Ég vil sofa. – I want to sleep.
- Ég vil kaffi. – I want coffee.
In Icelandic, the verb vilja (to want) is followed directly by the infinitive of another verb without “að”.
So you say:
- Ég vil æfa. – I want to practice.
not: - Ég vil að æfa. – This is wrong.
However, when you have a full clause, then you use að:
- Ég vil að þú æfir meira. – I want you to practice more.
æfa is the infinitive form of the verb, meaning “to practice / to train”.
Basic forms (present tense):
- ég æfi – I practice
- þú æfir – you practice
- hann/hún/það æfir – he/she/it practices
- við æfum – we practice
- þið æfið – you (pl.) practice
- þeir/þær/þau æfa – they practice
In your sentence, æfa stays in the infinitive because it follows vil (want).
All three forms exist, but they are different cases / forms of the noun íslenska (Icelandic (language)).
- íslenska – nominative, indefinite (Icelandic as a subject)
- íslenskuna – accusative, definite (the Icelandic)
- íslensku – dative or genitive (and also the form used after some prepositions)
In your sentence:
- æfa íslenskuna = to practice the Icelandic (language)
- æfa takes a direct object in the accusative case.
- íslenskuna is the Icelandic (definite accusative).
You could also hear:
- Ég vil æfa íslensku. – I want to practice Icelandic. (without the definite article)
Both æfa íslenskuna and æfa íslensku are used. Using the article (-una) can make it feel a bit more like the language itself, this Icelandic that I know / we’re talking about, but in everyday speech the difference is subtle.
The “-una” is the definite accusative singular ending for some feminine nouns like íslenska.
- Base form (nominative, indefinite): íslenska – Icelandic
- Definite form (nominative): íslenskan – the Icelandic
- Definite form (accusative): íslenskuna – the Icelandic (object)
So:
- Íslenskan er erfið. – The Icelandic (language) is hard. (subject, nominative)
- Ég vil læra íslenskuna. – I want to learn the Icelandic (language). (object, accusative)
The normal word order is:
[Subject] + [verb] + [infinitive verb] + [object] + [adverb]
So:
- Ég vil æfa íslenskuna daglega.
- Ég (subject)
- vil (verb)
- æfa (infinitive)
- íslenskuna (object)
- daglega (adverb)
In simple sentences like this, the object usually comes right after the main verb phrase and before adverbs like daily.
You could say:
- Ég vil æfa daglega íslenskuna.
But this sounds unnatural and marked. Stick to “…æfa íslenskuna daglega”.
daglega means “daily / every day / on a daily basis”.
It is an adverb derived from the adjective daglegur (daily).
Compare:
- daglegur matur – daily food (adjective)
- Ég les daglega. – I read daily (adverb)
In your sentence:
- daglega modifies the whole action “æfa íslenskuna” (practice Icelandic).
Yes. Both are correct, with a very similar meaning:
- Ég vil æfa íslenskuna daglega. – I want to practice Icelandic daily.
- Ég vil æfa íslenskuna á hverjum degi. – I want to practice Icelandic every day.
“á hverjum degi” literally means on every day:
- á – on
- hverjum – every (dative)
- degi – day (dative singular of dagur)
daglega is a bit more compact and slightly more formal/neutral; á hverjum degi can feel a bit more conversational or explicit.
Approximate pronunciation (in rough English-like spelling):
- Ég – “yeg” (almost like yeh-g; the g is soft)
- vil – “vil” (like vil in village without the -lage)
- æfa – “eye-va”
- íslenskuna – “ees-lens-koo-na”
- daglega – “DAH-gluh-ga” (the g is like in go, and the ll often sounds like tl or dl)
Stress is almost always on the first syllable of each word:
- ÉG vil Æ-fa ÍS-len-sku-na DAG-le-ga
The exact sounds differ from English, but this gives you a close approximation.
Both can translate as “I want to practice Icelandic”, but they use different verbs and grammar.
Ég vil æfa íslenskuna.
- Literal: I want to practice Icelandic.
- Vilja is a straightforward “to want” verb.
- Slightly more direct, about volition / decision.
Mig langar að æfa íslenskuna.
- Literal: Me longs to practice Icelandic.
- langar works impersonally with an object in the accusative:
- Mig langar… – I feel like… / I want (desire)
- Often a bit more about desire / feeling rather than a firm decision.
In everyday speech, both are common, and the difference in tone is mild.
It is neutral. You can use it in:
- Casual conversation
- With friends or classmates
- In a polite, semi-formal context (e.g. with a teacher)
If you wanted to make it sound slightly more “polite” or less direct, you might soften it with something like:
- Ég myndi vilja æfa íslenskuna daglega. – I would like to practice Icelandic daily.
But your original sentence is already perfectly acceptable in most situations.
Yes, you can say:
- Ég ætla að æfa íslenskuna daglega.
This changes the nuance:
- Ég vil… – I want… (focus on desire)
- Ég ætla að… – I am going to / I intend to… (focus on plan or intention)
So:
- Ég vil æfa íslenskuna daglega. – I want to practice Icelandic daily.
- Ég ætla að æfa íslenskuna daglega. – I’m going to / I plan to practice Icelandic daily.
Both are very natural; choose based on whether you’re talking about want or intention/plan.
You would conjugate æfa in the present tense and skip vil:
- Ég æfi íslenskuna daglega.
- Ég – I
- æfi – (I) practice
- íslenskuna – Icelandic (definite, object)
- daglega – daily
You could also say:
- Ég æfi íslensku daglega. – I practice Icelandic daily. (without the definite article)