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Eftir matinn bursta ég tennurnar með tannbursta og tannkremi.

Eftir matinn bursta ég tennurnar með tannbursta og tannkremi.
After the meal I brush my teeth with a toothbrush and toothpaste.
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Questions & Answers about Eftir matinn bursta ég tennurnar með tannbursta og tannkremi.

Why is it Eftir matinn and not just Eftir matur or Eftir mat?
  • Eftir (in the time/sequence sense after) requires the accusative case, so matur becomes mat.
  • matinn = mat
    • the definite article -inn (the meal).
      • matur (nom.) → mat (acc.) → matinn (acc. + definite)
  • You can also hear eftir mat without the article, meaning more like after eating / after a meal (in general). Eftir matinn sounds like after the (specific) meal you just had.
Why does the sentence start with Eftir matinn, and why is the word order bursta ég instead of ég bursta?

Icelandic has a strong V2 (verb-second) tendency in main clauses:

  • If you start with something other than the subject (here: Eftir matinn), the finite verb usually comes next, and the subject follows it.
  • So you get: Eftir matinn + bursta + ég ... If you start with the subject, you can say:
  • Ég bursta tennurnar eftir matinn.
What tense is bursta, and why does it look like the infinitive?
  • að bursta = to brush (infinitive)
  • ég bursta = I brush (present tense, 1st person singular) For many regular -a verbs, the 1st person singular present is identical to the infinitive stem, so this “same form” is normal.
What case is tennurnar, and how do I know?

tennurnar is the direct object of bursta, so it’s in the accusative.

  • Base noun: tönn (tooth)
  • Plural: tennur (teeth)
  • Definite plural: tennurnar (the teeth)
Why is it tennurnar (definite) instead of tennur (indefinite)?

Both are possible, but they feel slightly different:

  • bursta tennurnar = the natural, everyday way: brush my teeth (the set of teeth you have).
  • bursta tennur can sound more general/indefinite (and is less common in this exact daily-routine phrase). The definite form is often used in Icelandic for body parts in routine contexts.
Why is it með tannbursta og tannkremi—what case comes after með?

með usually takes the dative when it means with (using / accompanied by). So both nouns are dative:

  • tannbursti (toothbrush) → dative singular tannbursta
  • tannkrem (toothpaste) → dative singular tannkremi Even though tannbursta looks like it could be accusative too, for this noun the accusative and dative singular happen to look the same.
Why does tannbursta not have an ending, but tannkremi ends in -i?

That’s just how the dative singular is formed for these different noun types:

  • tannbursti is a masculine noun whose dative singular is tannbursta (no extra ending beyond the change from -i to -a).
  • tannkrem is a neuter noun that commonly takes -i in the dative singular: tannkremi.
Why are there no articles: why not með tannburstann or með tannkremið?

Without articles, it sounds generic: you’re describing the usual tools used for brushing.

  • með tannbursta og tannkremi = with a toothbrush and toothpaste (in general) If you mean specific, identifiable items, you can use the definite:
  • með tannburst­anum og tannkrem­inu = with the toothbrush and the toothpaste (the ones we’re talking about)
Does the dative from með apply to both nouns in tannbursta og tannkremi?

Yes. In með X og Y, the preposition með governs the case of the whole coordinated phrase, so both X and Y are dative here:

  • með [tannbursta] og [tannkremi]
Are tannbursti and tannkrem compound words? How do they work?

Yes, they’re compounds built from tönn (tooth) → tann- as the combining form:

  • tann-bursti = tooth-brush
  • tann-krem = tooth-cream (toothpaste) Compounds are extremely common in Icelandic, and the main stress is typically on the first syllable of the whole word.
How would I pronounce the tricky parts like Eftir, tennurnar, and tannkremi?

A few practical tips (not perfect IPA, but learner-friendly):

  • Stress is almost always on the first syllable: EFT-ir, TENN-urnar, TANN-kremi
  • Eftir: the ft cluster can sound tight/quick; aim for something like ef-tir.
  • tennurnar: double nn is clear/longer n; -urnar is a common definite-plural ending.
  • tannkremi: keep the e fairly clear, and the final -i is a short vowel (not like English “eye”).