Breakdown of Endilega takið af ykkur úlpurnar; þið eruð velkomin að sitja hér.
Questions & Answers about Endilega takið af ykkur úlpurnar; þið eruð velkomin að sitja hér.
Endilega is a very common Icelandic politeness word that roughly means certainly / by all means / please do.
In this sentence it makes the invitation warmer and more encouraging: “Please, go ahead and…”
You can use endilega to:
- encourage someone: Endilega komdu inn. (Please, come in.)
- give permission: Endilega. (Sure / Go ahead.)
- respond positively to a request: Má ég…? — Endilega. (May I…? — Certainly.)
Takið is the imperative (command/request form) for 2nd person plural (þið = you all / you formal).
- taktu = imperative to one person (singular þú)
- takið = imperative to more than one person, or often used as polite “you” to a guest/customer
So Endilega takið… matches þið eruð… later in the sentence.
It can be either, depending on context.
- If you’re addressing multiple people, þið is literally you (plural).
- If you’re addressing one guest politely (common in service contexts), Icelandic often uses þið as a polite form.
The verb forms (takið, eruð) are the same in both cases.
Yes, it can often be omitted, especially in casual speech, because the verb ending already shows the person/number:
- Endilega takið af ykkur úlpurnar; eruð velkomin að sitja hér.
But including þið is very common for clarity, emphasis, or politeness—especially when greeting guests.
Taka af sér/ykkur is an idiomatic way to say take off (clothes).
- af = off (from the body)
- ykkur = yourselves / you (plural/formal) So takið af ykkur úlpurnar is literally “take the coats off yourselves.”
You’ll see the same pattern with other clothing:
- taka af sér skóna = take off one’s shoes
- taka af sér hattinn = take off one’s hat
Ykkur is 2nd person plural dative (also used for polite singular).
The construction taka af + dative uses the dative for the person the item is removed from:
- taka (take) + af (off) + ykkur (from you)
Related forms:
- þið (subject)
- ykkur (object after some prepositions, including af)
- ykkar (your, plural/formal)
- ykkar sjálfra/sjálfra ykkar (of yourselves, etc., depending on structure)
Úlpurnar means “the coats” (definite, plural).
- úlpa = a coat/jacket (often a padded/winter jacket)
- úlpur = coats (plural)
- úlpurnar = the coats (definite plural)
In Icelandic, the definite article is usually attached as a suffix. Here -nar is the definite plural ending for this feminine noun pattern.
Úlpa usually refers to a jacket/parka-type outer coat, often a warm winter jacket.
More general words include:
- kápa = coat (often longer, “overcoat” style)
- jakki = jacket (broader, can be lighter)
So this sentence sounds like what you’d hear when someone enters wearing outdoor winter layers.
It separates two closely related independent parts:
1) Endilega takið af ykkur úlpurnar (Please take off your coats)
2) þið eruð velkomin að sitja hér (you’re welcome to sit here)
In speech you’d likely make a brief pause. A period would also be fine; the semicolon just links them a bit more tightly.
Eruð is the present tense of að vera (to be) for 2nd person plural (þið):
- ég er = I am
- þú ert = you (sing.) are
- hann/hún/það er = he/she/it is
- við erum = we are
- þið eruð = you (pl./formal) are
- þeir/þær/þau eru = they are
So þið eruð must go together.
Velkomin agrees in number (and sometimes gender) with the people being addressed.
Here, þið is plural, so the common agreement form is velkomin (plural).
If you were addressing one person, you might see:
- velkominn (masculine singular)
- velkomin (feminine singular)
- velkomið (neuter singular)
But with þið (plural or polite), velkomin is the normal choice.
It’s a common pattern: vera velkominn/velkomin/velkomið + að + infinitive, meaning “to be welcome to do something.”
- þið eruð velkomin = you are welcome
- að sitja = to sit (infinitive introduced by að)
- hér = here
So literally: “You are welcome to sit here.”