Ég ætla að vera hér lengur.

I am going to stay here longer.

Breakdown of Ég ætla að vera hér lengur.

• ég: I
• hér: here
• ætla: to plan
• vera: to stay
• lengur: any longer / anymore

Questions & Answers about Ég ætla að vera hér lengur.

What does ætla mean here—does it mean plan, intend, or be going to?

Að ætla (að) basically means to intend / to plan / to mean to. In everyday Icelandic it often matches English be going to when you’re talking about intention (not a neutral prediction).
So Ég ætla að vera hér lengur is about your intention/plan to remain longer.

Why is there an að before vera?

After many verbs (including ætla) Icelandic typically uses að + infinitive to introduce the action you intend/plan to do.
Here:

• ætla = conjugated verb (I intend)
• að vera = infinitive phrase (to be/stay)

In informal speech you may sometimes hear Ég ætla vera hér lengur (dropping að), but the standard, careful form keeps að.

Why does vera translate like stay here? I thought it meant be.

Vera literally means to be, but with a place adverb like hér (here) it often corresponds to English stay/remain.
So vera hér can naturally mean be here / stay here depending on context.

How is Ég ætla conjugated—what form is ætla?

ætla is the 1st person singular present tense form of að ætla:

• ég ætla = I intend
• þú ætlar = you intend
• hann/hún/það ætlar = he/she/it intends
• við ætlum = we intend
• þið ætlið = you (pl) intend
• þeir/þær/þau ætla = they intend

What’s the role of hér in the sentence, and could it move?

hér is an adverb meaning here. In this sentence it sits in a very common position: after the infinitive phrase begins (að vera) and before the time/degree phrase (lengur).
You can sometimes move adverbs for emphasis, but Ég ætla að vera hér lengur is the neutral, natural order.

What exactly is lengur grammatically?

lengur is the comparative form of the adverb lengi (for a long time).

• lengi = long (time), for a long time
• lengur = longer (for a longer time)
• lengst = longest

So lengur implies a comparison: longer than expected, longer than before, longer than someone else, etc. (The comparison target can be left unstated.)

How would you say I’m going to be here for a long time (not longer)?

You’d typically use lengi rather than lengur:

• Ég ætla að vera hér lengi. = I’m going to be here for a long time.

Using lengur specifically signals longer (comparative), not just a long time.

Does this sentence require any particular case endings?

No—this particular sentence doesn’t trigger visible case changes because it has:

• a subject pronoun Ég (nominative form already)
• verbs (ætla, vera)
• adverbs (hér, lengur)

No direct object noun phrase appears, so you don’t see accusative/dative/genitive endings here.

How do you pronounce Ég ætla að vera hér lengur (roughly)?

A practical learner-friendly approximation:

• Ég ≈ “yeh(g)” (Icelandic g can be very soft here)
• ætla ≈ “EYE-tla” (the æ is like the vowel in English eye for many speakers)
• að ≈ “ath” (often reduced in fast speech)
• vera ≈ “VEH-ra”
• hér ≈ “hyehr” (with a clear eh-like vowel and an r)
• lengur ≈ “LEN-gur” (with a rolled/tapped r)

Exact pronunciation varies a bit by speaker and speed.

What’s the difference between Ég ætla að vera hér lengur and Ég mun vera hér lengur?

Both can relate to the future, but the nuance differs:

• Ég ætla að ... = intention/plan (you’re deciding/meaning to do it)
• Ég mun ... = more like will (often prediction, promise, or firm statement)

So ætla is usually more “I’m planning/going to,” while mun is more “I will.”

Can Icelandic drop the subject pronoun like Spanish—could you just say Ætla að vera hér lengur?

Icelandic generally keeps subject pronouns in ordinary statements. Dropping ég is possible in very informal speech, short answers, diaries, or when context is extremely clear, but it’s not the default.
For learners, it’s safest to use Ég ætla ....

Is there any contraction or shortening in everyday speech?

Yes, in fast colloquial speech:

• að is often reduced (almost swallowed)
• some people may omit að entirely after ætla: Ég ætla vera hér lengur
• Ég ætla may sound more like a smooth unit than two carefully separated words

In writing and careful speech, the full form Ég ætla að vera hér lengur. is standard.