Breakdown of Ég fer í gegnum alla tölvupóstana og finn gamla kvittun.
Questions & Answers about Ég fer í gegnum alla tölvupóstana og finn gamla kvittun.
Icelandic present tense can describe:
- something happening right now (present time), or
- a habit/routine, or
- a vivid narrative present (common in summaries).
If you wanted clear past tense, you’d typically say:
- Ég fór í gegnum alla tölvupóstana og fann gamla kvittun. (past: fór, fann)
fara is the infinitive (to go). Icelandic conjugates the verb for person and number:
- ég fer = I go
- þú ferð = you go
- hann/hún/það fer = he/she/it goes
- við förum = we go
- þið farið = you (pl.) go
- þeir/þær/þau fara = they go
So Ég fer is the correct 1st person singular present form.
í gegnum is a fixed prepositional phrase meaning through / throughout / by going through. It’s commonly used both literally and figuratively:
- literal: fara í gegnum göng = go through a tunnel
- figurative: fara í gegnum tölvupósta = go through emails
It’s two words because it historically combines a preposition (í) with gegnum (roughly “through”).
í gegnum governs the accusative case. So the whole object phrase is accusative:
- alla = accusative plural masculine of allur (all)
- tölvupóstana = accusative plural definite of tölvupóstur
You can recognize the definite accusative plural ending -ana on many masculine nouns.
It’s:
- stem: tölvupóst-
- plural: -ar (in the nominative: tölvupóstar = emails)
- definite accusative plural ending: -ana
So:
- tölvupóstar = (some) emails (nom. pl.)
- tölvupósta = (some) emails (acc. pl. indefinite)
- tölvupóstana = the emails (acc. pl. definite)
Icelandic normally uses a suffix (a “stuck-on” definite article) rather than a separate word like English the:
- tölvupóstur = an email
- tölvupósturinn = the email
- tölvupóstar = emails
- tölvupóstarnir = the emails
In your sentence, the form is accusative plural definite: tölvupóstana.
Not necessarily. The sentence contrasts:
- alla tölvupóstana = a specific set you’re searching through (all the emails)
- gamla kvittun = one receipt you end up finding (introduced as an old receipt)
If you meant a specific known receipt, you’d more likely use a definite form, e.g.:
- … og finn gömlu kvittunina. = …and find the old receipt.
Because kvittun is feminine, and finna takes an accusative object. With an indefinite noun, Icelandic typically uses the strong adjective form:
- gamla kvittun = (an) old receipt
- gamla = strong feminine accusative singular of gamall
If it were definite, you’d normally use the weak form:
- gömlu kvittunina = the old receipt
So gamla fits the grammar of an indefinite direct object.
Icelandic often omits repeating the subject in coordinated clauses when it’s the same subject and it’s clear from context:
- Ég fer … og finn … = I go … and (I) find …
You can repeat it for emphasis or clarity:
- Ég fer … og ég finn … But the version without repetition is very natural.
In main clauses, Icelandic follows V2 (verb-second) word order: the finite verb tends to come second.
- Ég fer … (subject is first, so verb is second)
If something else is put first, the verb still usually stays second, and the subject moves after the verb:
- Í dag fer ég í gegnum alla tölvupóstana … = Today I go through all the emails …
That’s just the conjugation of finna (to find) in the present tense:
- ég finn = I find
- þú finnur = you find
- hann/hún/það finnur = he/she/it finds
So finnur belongs to þú or hann/hún/það, not ég.
Yes. Both are common, but the nuance can differ slightly:
- fara í gegnum = go through step-by-step, often implying checking thoroughly
- fara yfir = go over/review, often implying scanning or reviewing content
In many everyday contexts (like checking emails), either can work, and speakers choose based on style and emphasis.