Hann hleypur út í garðinn.

He runs out into the garden.

Breakdown of Hann hleypur út í garðinn.

• hann: he
• garðurinn: the garden
• hlaupa: to run
• út í: out into

Questions & Answers about Hann hleypur út í garðinn.

What does each word in Hann hleypur út í garðinn correspond to in English?

• Hann = he
• hleypur = runs / is running (3rd person singular present of hlaupa, to run)
• út = out
• í = into / in (here: into, because it indicates movement)
• garðinn = the yard / the garden (definite form, accusative case of garður)

So the whole sentence is literally something like: He runs out into the yard.

Why is the verb hleypur and not hlaupa?

Hlaupa is the infinitive form (to run).
In Icelandic, the verb changes its form to agree with the subject (person and number).

For hlaupa in the present tense, you get for example:

• ég hleyp – I run
• þú hleypur – you (sg.) run
• hann / hún / það hleypur – he / she / it runs
• við hlaupum – we run
• þið hlaupið – you (pl.) run
• þeir / þær / þau hlaupa – they run

So hann (he) goes with hleypur.

Why does hleypur look so different from the infinitive hlaupa?

This is a typical Icelandic vowel change in strong verbs.
The stem vowel au in hlaupa changes to ey in the singular present forms (ég hleyp, þú hleypur, hann hleypur).

In short:

• Infinitive: hlaupa
• 1st/2nd/3rd person singular present: hleyp- forms
• Plural present: goes back to hlaup- (e.g. við hlaupum)

So the alternation hlaup- / hleyp- is just part of how this irregular verb is conjugated.

How do you pronounce hleypur? The hl- at the start looks strange.

Roughly (for an English speaker), hleypur sounds like: [l-ei-pur], with:

• hl-: the h is pronounced, but very lightly, then an l; kind of like blowing slightly while saying l.
• ey: like the vowel in English say.
• p: actually often aspirated (a small puff of air).
• Final -ur: a short u (like book, but shorter) plus a very light r.

Stress is on the first syllable: HLEY-pur.

Why are there two words út í? Wouldn’t just one preposition be enough?

In Icelandic, út í often functions together to express movement out and into something at the same time.

• út by itself means “out(wards)”.
• í with motion means “into”.

So út í garðinn literally combines:

• út = out (from where he is)
• í garðinn = into the yard

English compresses this to out into the yard, but Icelandic simply strings both elements together.

What is the difference between út, úti, and út í?

• út = out, outwards (movement from inside to outside)

  • Hann hleypur út. – He runs out.

• úti = outside (location, no movement implied)

  • Hann er úti. – He is outside.

• út í = out into (movement going out and then into some place)

  • Hann hleypur út í garðinn. – He runs out into the yard.

So út / út í are used with motion, while úti is for location.

Why is it í garðinn and not just í garð?

Two things are happening there:

1. Definiteness

   • garður = a yard / garden (indefinite)
   • garðinn = the yard / the garden (definite)

2. Case

   • garður is the nominative (dictionary form).
   • With movement into something, í takes the accusative.
   • Accusative singular of garður is garð; then you add the definite ending -inn → garðinn.

So í garðinn literally means into the yard (definite, accusative).

Why is garðinn in the accusative case here?

Prepositions in Icelandic often change case depending on whether they express:

• location (where?) → usually dative
• movement into / onto (where to?) → usually accusative

With í:

• dative (location):
  
  • Hann er í garðinum. – He is (located) in the yard.
• accusative (motion into):
  
  • Hann hleypur í garðinn. – He runs into the yard.

In Hann hleypur út í garðinn, he’s moving into the yard, so garðinn is accusative.

What is the role of -inn at the end of garðinn?

Icelandic usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun, as a suffix, instead of using a separate word like English the.

For masculine garður (yard):

• garður = a yard (nominative, indefinite)
• garðinn = the yard (accusative, definite)
• garðurinn = the yard (nominative, definite)
• garðinum = the yard (dative, definite)

So -inn (or -urinn, depending on case and form) is the attached form of the.

Does garður mean “garden” or “yard”? Which is correct?

Garður can mean:

• yard, garden, or more generally an enclosed outdoor area, often near a house.
• It can also mean fenced area, courtyard, or even park in some contexts.

The exact English translation depends on the context:

• House with grass around it: often yard.
• With plants, flowers, vegetables: often garden.

In Hann hleypur út í garðinn, both yard and garden are possible, depending on what kind of space is meant.

How would I say “He is running out into the yard,” with the English -ing form?

Icelandic does not have a separate continuous tense like English (is running).
The normal way is simply to use the plain present tense:

• Hann hleypur út í garðinn.
  This can mean both:
• He runs out into the yard.
• He is running out into the yard.

You can say Hann er að hlaupa út í garðinn, but that often sounds more like focusing on the activity itself (He is in the process of running out into the yard). In everyday speech, the simple present Hann hleypur… is usually enough.

Could the word order be different, like Út í garðinn hleypur hann?

Yes. Icelandic has relatively flexible word order, but the verb generally stays in the second position of the main clause.

Possible orders include:

• Hann hleypur út í garðinn. (neutral, most common)
• Út í garðinn hleypur hann. (emphasizes out into the yard)
• Út í garðinn hleypur hann hratt. – Out into the yard he runs quickly.

The meaning stays basically the same; you’re just shifting what is emphasized or what comes first.

What’s the difference between hleypur and hlaupa in the plural? For example, “They run out into the yard.”

In the plural, the present tense returns to the hlaup- stem:

• Þeir / Þær / Þau hlaupa út í garðinn. – They run out into the yard.

So:

• Singular: hann hleypur
• Plural: þeir hlaupa

The subject pronoun also changes according to gender:

• þeir – they (masculine)
• þær – they (feminine)
• þau – they (neuter or mixed group)

What’s the difference between í garðinn and á garðinn? Why í here?

Both í and á can translate as in / into / on / onto, but they’re used differently:

• í is used for going into an enclosed space or interior:

  • í garðinn – into the yard (seen as an enclosed area)
  • í húsið – into the house

• á is used for going onto a surface or an open area:

  • á völlinn – onto the field
  • á borðið – onto the table

A garður (yard/garden) is typically thought of as an enclosed area, so í garðinn is used.