Log inSign up

Ég sópa fyrst, og síðan moppa ég gólfið með heitu vatni.

Ég sópa fyrst, og síðan moppa ég gólfið með heitu vatni.
I sweep first, and then I mop the floor with hot water.

Breakdown of Ég sópa fyrst, og síðan moppa ég gólfið með heitu vatni.

ég
I
með
with
heitur
hot
og
and
vatnið
the water
gólfið
the floor
síðan
then
fyrst
first
sópa
to sweep
moppa
to mop
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Icelandic grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Icelandic now

Questions & Answers about Ég sópa fyrst, og síðan moppa ég gólfið með heitu vatni.

Why is it Ég sópa and not something like Ég sópar?

Because að sópa is a weak verb where the 1st person singular present form is sópa.
Present tense forms are:

  • ég sópa
  • þú sópar
  • hann/hún/það sópar
  • við sópum
  • þið sópið
  • þeir/þær/þau sópa

So sópar would match þú or hann/hún/það, not ég.

Why does the second part say síðan moppa ég (verb before subject) instead of síðan ég moppa?

Icelandic follows a verb-second (V2) word order rule in main clauses: the finite verb normally comes in the second position.
When you start a clause with an adverb like síðan (then), the verb still needs to be second, so the subject moves after it:

  • Síðan moppa ég ... (correct: síðan
    • moppa
      • ég)
        Not: Síðan ég moppa ... (that would break the V2 pattern in a main clause)
Could I also say Fyrst sópa ég instead of Ég sópa fyrst?

Yes. Both are natural, but the emphasis changes slightly:

  • Ég sópa fyrst = neutral, subject-first statement
  • Fyrst sópa ég = puts more focus on first (and triggers the same V2 inversion: fyrst
    • sópa
      • ég)
Why is there a comma before og: Ég sópa fyrst, og síðan ...?

Because Icelandic comma rules commonly use a comma to separate two main clauses, even when they’re connected by og (and):

  • Ég sópa fyrst, og síðan moppa ég ...
    Two complete clauses: 1) Ég sópa fyrst
    2) síðan moppa ég gólfið ...

In more informal writing, you may sometimes see the comma omitted, but the version with the comma matches standard rules well.

What part of speech is fyrst and where does it usually go?

Fyrst is an adverb meaning first. It can appear:

  • after the verb / later in the clause: Ég sópa fyrst.
  • at the beginning for emphasis: Fyrst sópa ég.

Both are common.

Is moppa an Icelandic word? Why does it look so similar to English?

It’s a common modern verb based on the international/English word mop. Icelandic has adapted it into a regular verb pattern with -a:

  • infinitive: að moppa
  • present (ég): moppa
  • past: moppaði
  • supine/past participle form used with auxiliaries: moppað

So it behaves like a normal Icelandic weak verb.

Why do we need to repeat ég in the second clause?

Because Icelandic normally requires an explicit subject in each finite clause (it’s not a pro-drop language like Spanish/Italian).
Also, since síðan comes first, you can’t just run the verb without a subject:

  • ... og síðan moppa ég gólfið ... (complete clause)
    Not: ... og síðan moppa gólfið ... (missing subject)
Why is gólfið spelled with -ið at the end?

That -ið is the definite article attached to the noun (Icelandic usually attaches “the” as a suffix).

  • gólf = a floor (indefinite)
  • gólfið = the floor (definite)
What case is gólfið, and how can I tell?

Here gólfið is the direct object of the verb moppa, so it’s in the accusative.
For gólf (a neuter noun), nominative and accusative look the same in the singular, but the role in the sentence shows it’s accusative: it’s what’s being mopped.

Why is it með heitu vatni and not með heitt vatn?

Because the preposition með usually governs the dative case when it means with / using.

So vatn becomes dative singular vatni, and the adjective must agree with it:

  • nominative/accusative: heitt vatn
  • dative: heitu vatni

That’s why you get með heitu vatni = with hot water.

What exactly does með mean here—“with” in what sense?

Here með expresses instrument/means: you mop the floor using hot water.

So it’s closer to:

  • with hot water = “using hot water (as part of the mopping)”
Does the present tense here mean “right now” or “in general”?

It can mean either, depending on context. Icelandic present tense often covers:

  • a habitual routine: “This is what I do (typically).”
  • an immediate/ongoing plan in context: “This is what I’m doing (now / next).”

If you want to make “right now” explicit, you might add something like núna (now).