Log inSign up

Ég er að fara að versla í matvöruversluninni.

Ég er að fara að versla í matvöruversluninni.
I am about to shop at the grocery store.

Breakdown of Ég er að fara að versla í matvöruversluninni.

ég
I
í
at
vera að fara að
to be about to
versla
to shop
matvöruverslunin
the grocery store
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Icelandic grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Icelandic now

Questions & Answers about Ég er að fara að versla í matvöruversluninni.

Why are there two að’s in Ég er að fara að versla…?

They belong to two different constructions:

  • vera að + infinitive = a “progressive/ongoing” frame: Ég er að fara… ≈ I’m (in the process of) going…
  • fara að + infinitive = “start/about to” construction: fara að versla ≈ start going shopping / be about to shop So Ég er að fara að versla is basically “I’m (right now) about to go shopping / I’m getting ready to go shopping.”
Does vera að always mean “-ing” like English?

Often, but not perfectly. vera að + infinitive commonly expresses something in progress or imminent, similar to English be + -ing, but Icelandic uses it differently in some contexts. Here it’s natural because it describes a near-future/ongoing action (I’m on my way / I’m about to…). Icelandic can also use the simple present for things English would put in -ing, depending on context.

What exactly does fara að add here? Could I just say Ég fer að versla or Ég ætla að versla?

They’re close but not identical:

  • fara að + infinitive: emphasis on beginning/being on the verge of starting (I’m about to start shopping / I’m going off to shop).
  • ætla að + infinitive: intention/plan (I intend to shop / I’m going to shop (plan)).
  • Ég fer að versla: can mean “I start shopping / I’m going to start shopping,” but it’s less “right now in progress” than Ég er að fara að… Your sentence sounds like “I’m just about to head out to go shopping.”
What form is fara in Ég er að fara…?

It’s the infinitive fara (“to go”). In vera að + infinitive, the main verb stays in the infinitive:

  • ég er (present of vera, “to be”)
  • að fara (infinitive phrase)
Is að versla an infinitive too? And what does versla mean literally?

Yes. versla is the infinitive meaning “to shop” (also “to do business/trade” depending on context). In everyday speech, að versla is simply “to go shopping / to shop.”

Why is it í matvöruversluninni and not á matvöruversluninni?

Prepositions are idiomatic. For being inside a place, Icelandic commonly uses í (“in”):

  • í búðinni = in the shop
  • í matvöruversluninni = in the grocery store
    á is more like “on” (surface) or used with some locations by convention (e.g., á Íslandi, á Akureyri, á spítalanum in some dialects/uses). For a store as a physical interior, í is the normal choice.
Why is it matvöruversluninni with -inni at the end?

That ending shows definite form + dative singular:

  • Base noun: verslun (shop/store)
  • Compound: matvöru-verslun = grocery store (literally “food-goods store”)
  • Definite form adds the article as a suffix: verslunin = “the store”
  • With í (location), you typically use dative: í versluninni = “in the store”
    So matvöruversluninni means “in the grocery store.”
How do I know whether í takes accusative or dative?

A very common rule:

  • í + accusative = movement into (direction)
  • í + dative = location in/at (being there)

Examples:

  • Ég fer í búðina. (accusative) = I go into the shop.
  • Ég er í búðinni. (dative) = I am in the shop.

In your sentence, it’s about where the shopping happens (in the store), so dative: í matvöruversluninni.

If it’s about going somewhere, why isn’t it Ég er að fara í matvöruverslunina (accusative)?

Because the sentence attaches the location to versla (shopping), not necessarily to the motion fara:

  • fara að versla í matvöruversluninni = go (in order) to shop in the grocery store (shopping location) If you want to emphasize the destination of going, you can say:
  • Ég er að fara í matvöruverslunina að versla. (go into/to the grocery store to shop) Or more naturally:
  • Ég er að fara í matvöruverslunina. (I’m going to the grocery store.)
  • Ég er að fara að versla. (I’m about to go shopping.)
What’s the word order doing here? Can parts move around?

The basic order is: Ég (subject) + er (finite verb) + rest (infinitive phrases and prepositional phrase).
You can often move adverbials (like location/time) for emphasis:

  • Ég er að fara að versla í matvöruversluninni. (neutral)
  • Í matvöruversluninni er ég að fara að versla. (fronted for emphasis; sounds more marked/formal) But the finite verb er stays in 2nd position in main clauses (V2 tendency).
How is matvöruversluninni built as a compound?

It’s:

  • mat- = food (from matur)
  • vöru = goods/items (genitive of vara, often used in compounds)
  • verslun = store/shop
    So matvöruverslun is literally “food-goods store,” i.e. a grocery store. Compounds are extremely common in Icelandic; they’re usually written as one word.
How would I pronounce the tricky parts?

A few key points (approximate guidance):

  • Ég: sounds like yeh(g) with a palatal “y” sound.
  • að: often reduced, like a soft ath or uhth depending on speed.
  • fara: first a is short; r is trilled/tapped.
  • versla: e like in met; rl cluster can sound “tight.”
  • matvöruversluninni: stress is on the first syllable MAT- (Icelandic stress is usually on the first syllable of a word/compound).