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Við kveikjum á hljóðkerfinu, en hljóðstyrkurinn er of hár.

Við kveikjum á hljóðkerfinu, en hljóðstyrkurinn er of hár.
We turn on the sound system, but the volume is too high.

Breakdown of Við kveikjum á hljóðkerfinu, en hljóðstyrkurinn er of hár.

vera
to be
við
we
en
but
hár
high
of
too
kveikja á
to turn on
hljóðkerfið
the sound system
hljóðstyrkurinn
the volume
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Questions & Answers about Við kveikjum á hljóðkerfinu, en hljóðstyrkurinn er of hár.

Why is kveikjum used here—what form is it?

Kveikjum is the present tense, 1st person plural form of the verb kveikja.
So við kveikjum = we turn on / we switch on / we light (up) (depending on context).
Conjugation (present):

  • ég kveiki
  • þú kveikir
  • hann/hún/það kveikir
  • við kveikjum
  • þið kveikið
  • þeir/þær/þau kveikja
Why does it say kveikjum á? What does á do?

In Icelandic, kveikja á is a common verb + particle pattern meaning to switch/turn something on.
So:

  • kveikja á X = turn on X
    And the opposite is:
  • slökkva á X = turn off X

The á is not optional here in normal usage; kveikja alone often means ignite/light (like lighting a candle), while kveikja á is the everyday “switch on” expression.

Why is it á hljóðkerfinu and not á hljóðkerfið?

Because kveikja á governs the dative case for the thing being switched on.
So hljóðkerfi (a neuter noun) appears in dative singular definite:

  • nominative: hljóðkerfi
  • accusative: hljóðkerfi
  • dative: hljóðkerfi
  • dative + definite: hljóðkerfinu

That’s why you get á hljóðkerfinu.

What does the ending -inu in hljóðkerfinu mean?

-inu is the definite article suffix in the dative singular for many neuter nouns.
Here it marks the sound system (specific/known), and the dative required by á (in this usage).

Roughly:

  • hljóðkerfi = (a) sound system
  • hljóðkerfið = the sound system (nominative/accusative)
  • hljóðkerfinu = to/on/with the sound system (dative, depending on the verb/preposition)
Why does Icelandic put the at the end of the noun (like hljóðstyrkurinn)?

Icelandic usually expresses the with a suffix attached to the noun (a “postposed definite article”).
So:

  • hljóðstyrkur = (a) volume
  • hljóðstyrkurinn = the volume

You can also use a separate demonstrative-like word (þessi/sá) when needed, but the default “the” is typically the suffix.

Why is it hljóðstyrkurinn (with -inn) but hljóðkerfinu (with -inu)?

Because they’re different nouns with different gender and case here:

  • hljóðkerfi is neuter, and it’s in the dative → hljóðkerfinu
  • hljóðstyrkur is masculine, and it’s in the nominative (as the subject of er) → hljóðstyrkurinn

The definite endings vary by gender + case.

How do I know hljóðstyrkurinn is the subject?

Because the clause hljóðstyrkurinn er of hár follows the common pattern:

  • [subject in nominative] + er + [adjective]

Here, er is the present tense of vera (to be), and the noun in nominative (hljóðstyrkurinn) is the subject.

Why is it of hár and not something like of hátt?

The adjective must agree with the noun hljóðstyrkurinn in gender, number, and case.
hljóðstyrkur is masculine singular nominative, so the adjective is:

  • masculine nominative singular: hár

Hátt would be used when describing something neuter (or used as an adverb-like form in some contexts), but here the grammar is clearly adjective agreement with a masculine noun.

What does of mean, and where does it go in the sentence?

Of means too (excessively). It normally comes right before the adjective/adverb it modifies:

  • of hár = too high
    So hljóðstyrkurinn er of hár = the volume is too high.
Why use en here, and why the comma?

En means but and commonly introduces a contrast:

  • We turn it on, but the volume is too high.

The comma before en is standard here because it separates two independent clauses:

  • Við kveikjum á hljóðkerfinu, (clause 1)
  • en hljóðstyrkurinn er of hár. (clause 2)
Is Við kveikjum... present tense or can it mean “we’re going to turn it on”?

Grammatically it’s present tense. Depending on context, Icelandic present tense can cover:

  • habitual: We (usually) turn on the sound system...
  • right now: We’re turning on the sound system...
  • near future / intention (context-driven): We’re going to turn on the sound system...

If you need to be explicit about intention, you might use other constructions, but the plain present is often enough in conversation.

How do you pronounce hljóðkerfinu and hljóðstyrkurinn (roughly)?

A rough guide (dialects vary):

  • hljóð: the hlj- is like an l with breathy h before it; jó is like yo; ð is a soft “th” sound (often very light in speech).
  • hljóðkerfinu: stress on the first syllable: HLJÓÐ-ker-fi-nu.
  • hljóðstyrkurinn: stress on the first syllable: HLJÓÐ-styrk-ur-inn.

Key pronunciation notes:

  • Icelandic stress is almost always on the first syllable.
  • y in styrk- is a front rounded vowel (not English i); many learners approximate it at first.