Hún tekur lítið verkfæri úr pappakassa og segir að ég megi nota það.

She takes a small tool out of a cardboard box and says that I may use it.

Breakdown of Hún tekur lítið verkfæri úr pappakassa og segir að ég megi nota það.

• ég: I
• lítill: small
• það: it
• hún: she
• taka: to take
• segja: to say
• og: and
• nota: to use
• að: that
• úr: out of
• pappakassinn: the cardboard box
• verkfærið: the tool
• mega: to be allowed (may)

Questions & Answers about Hún tekur lítið verkfæri úr pappakassa og segir að ég megi nota það.

Why is the verb tekur and not taka?

Taka is the infinitive (to take). In the sentence you have the present tense, 3rd person singular, because the subject is hún (she):

• ég tek
• þú tekur
• hann/hún/það tekur
• við tökum
• þið takið
• þeir/þær/þau taka

So hún tekur = she takes.

What case is lítið verkfæri, and why does lítið have that ending?

Verkfæri is the direct object of taka, and taka typically takes an object in the accusative.

Verkfæri is neuter singular, and here it’s indefinite (no the), so the adjective must match neuter singular accusative (which looks the same as neuter nominative in the indefinite form):

• neuter sg. (indef.): lítið verkfæri

Compare:

• masculine: lítinn (acc.)
• feminine: litla (acc.)
• neuter: lítið (acc.)

Why isn’t there a word for a/an before verkfæri?

Icelandic doesn’t have an indefinite article like a/an. Indefiniteness is usually just understood from context and from the noun/adjective form.

So lítið verkfæri naturally means a small tool without needing a separate word.

Why does it say úr pappakassa and not some other form of pappakassi?

The preposition úr (out of/from inside) governs the dative case. So pappakassi must appear in the dative singular:

• nom.: pappakassi
• acc.: pappakassa
• dat.: pappakassa
• gen.: pappakassa

Here you need dative because of úr, so úr pappakassa is correct.

Is pappakassa dative or accusative here? They look the same.

It’s dative because úr requires dative. You’re right that for pappakassi the accusative singular and dative singular happen to be identical in form (pappakassa). In Icelandic, you often rely on the preposition (or verb) to tell you which case it must be.

Why is the word order ... og segir að ... (verb comes early), and does the second verb still follow “verb-second” rules?

Yes. In Icelandic main clauses, the finite verb usually comes in second position (V2).

First clause:

• Hún (1st position) tekur (2nd) ...

After og, you get another main clause, and it also behaves like a normal main clause:

• ... og segir (finite verb early, effectively V2 with the conjunction + implied structure) að ...

So you can think of it as two coordinated main clauses: 1) Hún tekur ...
2) (Hún) segir að ...

What is the role of að in segir að ég megi...?

Að introduces a subordinate clause (a “that”-clause). It’s the common way to report speech/thought:

• segja að ... = say that ...

So segir að ég ... is structurally like says that I ....

Why is it megi and not má?

Má is the present indicative (I may / I’m allowed). Megi is the present subjunctive form of mega.

In Icelandic, after certain reporting/permission/command-type constructions, a subordinate clause often uses the subjunctive, especially to express something like permission, recommendation, intention, or non-factual/controlled content:

• Hún segir að ég megi nota það.
  = She says that I’m allowed to use it.

You may sometimes also hear indicative má in similar contexts, but megi is a very common and “grammar-book safe” choice for reported permission.

Why does the infinitive nota come near the end of the clause?

In Icelandic, when you have a finite verb + an infinitive (a “verb chain”), the finite verb comes earlier and the infinitive typically comes later in the clause:

• ég megi nota það
  Finite verb: megi
  Infinitive: nota

This is similar to English may use, but Icelandic tends to keep that infinitive later, especially with objects like það placed after it or around it depending on style.

What does það refer to, and why is it það?

Það is a neuter pronoun meaning it/that. Here it refers back to verkfæri (tool), which is neuter in Icelandic, so the pronoun matching it is naturally það.

Also, as the object of nota (use), it appears in the accusative, and það is the accusative form for neuter singular (same as nominative for það).

Is pappakassa a compound word, and how are compounds handled in Icelandic?

Yes. Pappakassi is a compound:

• pappi (paper/cardboard) + kassi (box) → pappakassi (cardboard box)

Icelandic forms compounds very freely, and the last part (here kassi) determines the grammatical gender and declension pattern. So pappakassi declines like kassi.