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Kertið brennur lengi, en ég geymi líka auka rafhlöðupakka fyrir vasaljósið.

Kertið brennur lengi, en ég geymi líka auka rafhlöðupakka fyrir vasaljósið.
The candle burns for a long time, but I also keep an extra battery pack for the flashlight.
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Questions & Answers about Kertið brennur lengi, en ég geymi líka auka rafhlöðupakka fyrir vasaljósið.

Why does kert have -ið at the end (Kertið)?

-ið is the Icelandic definite article attached to a neuter singular noun.

  • kert = a candle (neuter, singular, indefinite)
  • kert-ið = the candle (neuter, singular, definite)
    So Kertið brennur... literally starts with The candle burns....
What form is brennur, and what verb is it from?

brennur is present tense, 3rd person singular of the verb að brenna (to burn).

  • ég brenni = I burn
  • þú brennur = you burn
  • hann/hún/það brennur = he/she/it burns
    Here, kertið is 3rd person singular (it), so you get brennur.
Does brenna mean “to be on fire” or just “to burn (like a candle)”?

In this context, Kertið brennur is the normal, neutral way to say a candle is burning / burning steadily.
að brenna can also mean to burn (be on fire) in other contexts, but with candles it’s the everyday verb.

Why is lengi used, and what part of speech is it?

lengi is an adverb meaning for a long time / a long while.
It answers “how long?” and commonly goes after the verb: brennur lengi = burns for a long time.

What does en do here, and why is there a comma before it?

en means but and links two independent clauses:

  • Kertið brennur lengi
  • ég geymi líka...
    A comma before en is standard Icelandic punctuation when it connects full clauses (similar to English style in many cases).
What is geymi—is that present tense?

Yes. geymi is present tense, 1st person singular of að geyma (to store/keep).

  • ég geymi = I keep / I store
  • við geymum = we keep
    So ég geymi líka... = I also keep/store...
Where can líka go in the sentence? Is the placement fixed?

líka (also) is fairly flexible, but it usually sits after the verb or near what it modifies:

  • ég geymi líka auka rafhlöðupakka... (very common)
    You can also see:
  • ég geymi auka rafhlöðupakka líka... (puts more emphasis on “also”)
    The given placement is natural and neutral.
Why is it auka and not something that agrees in gender/case like an adjective?

auka here is commonly used as an indeclinable modifier meaning extra/spare—it often does not change form.
So you typically say:

  • auka rafhlöðupakka = an extra battery pack
    Even though many Icelandic adjectives inflect, auka in this “extra/spare” sense is frequently kept unchanged.
What is rafhlöðupakka exactly, and why is it so long?

It’s a compound noun:

  • rafhlaða = battery
  • pakki = pack
    Together: rafhlöðupakki = battery pack.

The form rafhlöðupakka is the accusative singular of rafhlöðupakki (masculine). It’s accusative because it’s the direct object of geymi (I keep).

Why does the first part look like rafhlöðu- (with -u) inside the compound?

In compounds, the first noun is often put into a linking form—very commonly the genitive singular.

  • rafhlaða (nom. sg.)
  • rafhlöðu- (gen. sg. used as a compound stem)
    So rafhlöðupakki is literally something like battery’s-pack → battery pack.
Why is it fyrir vasaljósið and not another case or preposition?

fyrir can govern different cases depending on meaning. Here it means for / intended for, and it typically takes the accusative:

  • fyrir vasaljósið = for the flashlight (intended use)

Other prepositions can be possible in other nuances, but fyrir + accusative is very common for “for (a purpose/recipient item).”

Why is vasaljósið definite (-ið)?

vasaljós (flashlight) is neuter; vasaljósið is the flashlight.
Using the definite form is natural when you mean a specific flashlight that’s contextually known (often “my/the flashlight we’re talking about”), even if English might say “a flashlight” in some contexts.

How do you pronounce the tricky words, and where is the stress?

Main stress in Icelandic is almost always on the first syllable of a word.

  • Kertið: stress on KER-
  • brennur: stress on BREN-
  • rafhlöðupakka: stress on RAF- (then it runs together as one word)
  • vasaljósið: stress on VA-

Two extra tips:

  • ð is a soft sound (often like the th in this), and sometimes very light.
  • Long compounds like rafhlöðupakka are pronounced smoothly as one word, not as separate English-style chunks.