Log inSign up

Á morgun fer hún með brotna lampann á verkstæði og biður um viðgerð.

Á morgun fer hún með brotna lampann á verkstæði og biður um viðgerð.
Tomorrow she takes the broken lamp to a workshop and asks for a repair.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Icelandic grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Icelandic now

Questions & Answers about Á morgun fer hún með brotna lampann á verkstæði og biður um viðgerð.

Why is the sentence in the present tense (fer, biður) if it’s talking about tomorrow?

Icelandic often uses the present tense for scheduled or near-future actions, especially when a time word makes the future clear. Á morgun (“tomorrow”) signals the future, so fer (“goes”) and biður (“asks”) are understood as “will go / will ask” in English.

What does Á morgun literally mean, and why is it written with á?

morgun means “morning,” but á morgun is the standard idiom for “tomorrow.” Literally it’s like “on (the) morning,” but you should learn á morgun as a fixed expression meaning “tomorrow.”

Why is the word order Á morgun fer hún… and not Hún fer á morgun…?

Both are possible, but Icelandic commonly puts a time expression first for emphasis or context. When something other than the subject comes first, Icelandic keeps the verb in the second position (V2 word order), so you get:

  • Á morgun (time) + fer (verb) + hún (subject)
What is fer—is it the same as fara?

fara is the infinitive (“to go”). fer is the 3rd person singular present tense form (“(she) goes”).
Conjugation (present):

  • ég fer
  • þú ferð
  • hún/það/hann fer
  • við förum
  • þið farið
  • þeir/þær/þau fara
Why does it say fer hún með… (“goes she with…”)—is that normal?

Yes. Because Á morgun is placed first, the verb must come second (V2), which puts the subject after the verb:

  • Á morgun fer hún… This is very typical Icelandic structure.
Why is it með brotna lampann—what case is that?

The preposition með usually takes the accusative in modern Icelandic when it means “with” (accompaniment). So lampann is accusative singular masculine definite (“the lamp” as a direct object of með).

Why is it lampann and not just lampi?

Because lampann is:

  • definite (“the lamp”), shown by the attached article -inn
  • accusative singular masculine, required here after með

Roughly:

  • lampi = “a lamp” (indefinite, nominative)
  • lampann = “the lamp” (definite, accusative)
Why is the adjective brotna and not brotinn?

Adjectives change form to match case, gender, number, and definiteness. Here the noun is lampann (masculine, accusative, singular, definite). With a definite noun (or when an adjective is used with a definite meaning), Icelandic often uses the “weak” adjective ending. That’s why you get:

  • brotna lampann = “the broken lamp” (accusative masculine singular, weak form)
What’s the role of á verkstæði—why á and what case is verkstæði?

á can mean “to” or “at,” depending on whether motion is involved. With motion/direction (“to a place”), á often takes the accusative.
Here fer … á verkstæði = “goes to a workshop (repair shop).”

verkstæði is neuter, and neuter singular accusative is often identical to nominative, so the form doesn’t visibly change.

Why is there no “the/a” before verkstæði?

Icelandic marks definiteness differently than English. If it’s indefinite, you often just use the bare noun:

  • á verkstæði = “to a workshop / to a repair shop”

If you wanted “to the workshop,” you’d typically use the definite form:

  • á verkstæðið = “to the workshop”
Why does it say biður um viðgerð—what does biður um mean grammatically?

The verb is biðja (“to ask/request”). A very common pattern is biðja um + accusative, meaning “to ask for / request” something:

  • biður um viðgerð = “asks for a repair”

So um is not optional here; it’s part of the usual construction.

What case is viðgerð in, and why doesn’t it change?

After um, the noun is typically accusative. viðgerð is feminine singular, and for many feminine nouns, the accusative singular looks the same as the nominative singular—so you don’t necessarily see a different ending even though the case is accusative.

How does og work here—does hún apply to both verbs?

Yes. og (“and”) connects two verb phrases that share the same subject:

  • (hún) fer … og (hún) biður … Icelandic often omits repeating the subject when it’s understood.
Any pronunciation traps in this sentence?

A few common ones:

  • Á is like “ow” in “cow,” but longer: Á morgun
  • ð in biður is a soft “th” sound (like this), often very light
  • ll in lampann is just l (not the special Icelandic ll sound you get in words like fjall)
  • Stress is usually on the first syllable: MOR-gun, VERK-stæði, VIÐ-gerð