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Hún þurrkar vatnið af borðinu.

Hún þurrkar vatnið af borðinu.
She wipes the water off the table.

Breakdown of Hún þurrkar vatnið af borðinu.

hún
she
borðið
the table
vatnið
the water
af
off
þurrka
to wipe
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Questions & Answers about Hún þurrkar vatnið af borðinu.

Why does hún mean she, and when do I use it instead of hennar or henni?

Hún is the nominative (subject) form of she, so you use it when she is doing the action: Hún þurrkar… = She wipes/dries…
Other common forms:

  • hana (accusative) = her as a direct object (I see her).
  • henni (dative) = her after many prepositions or as an indirect object (I give her…).
  • hennar (genitive) = her/hers showing possession (her book).
What tense is þurrkar, and how does it relate to the infinitive?

Þurrkar is present tense, 3rd person singular, from the infinitive að þurrka (to wipe/dry).
Conjugation pattern (present) is typically:

  • ég þurrka
  • þú þurrkar
  • hún/hann/það þurrkar
  • við þurrkum
  • þið þurrkið
  • þeir/þær/þau þurrka
Does þurrka mean dry or wipe here?

Both are possible depending on context, and English often needs two different verbs. In this sentence it’s very natural as wipe: wipe the water off the table.
It can also imply drying by wiping. (Another common verb you may see is að þerra = to wipe/dab dry, often for drying something off.)

Why is it vatnið and not just vatn?

Vatnið is vatn (water) with the definite article attached, meaning the water. Icelandic usually puts the as a suffix:

  • vatn = water
  • vatnið = the water

In this sentence, it points to a specific, known water (e.g., a spill).

What case is vatnið, and how can I tell?

Vatnið is the direct object of the verb þurrka, so it’s in the accusative.
For vatn, the nominative and accusative singular look the same in the indefinite (vatn), and in the definite they are also the same (vatnið). So here you tell mainly by function (it’s the thing being wiped).

Why is it af borðinu and not af borðið?

The preposition af normally takes the dative case, so borð (table) becomes borði in dative singular, and with the definite ending you get borðinu = the table (dative definite).
So: af + dative → af borðinu = off the table.

What exactly does af mean here, and how is it different from frá?

Af often expresses off (a surface/source) or away from contact with something: þurrka vatnið af borðinu = wipe the water off the table (remove it from the table’s surface).
Frá is more generally from/away from and doesn’t fit as naturally with wiping something off a surface in this idiomatic way.

Why is borðinu “the table” if there’s no separate word for the?

Icelandic typically attaches the to the end of the noun:

  • borð = a table
  • borðið = the table (nominative/accusative definite)
  • borðinu = the table (dative definite)

Here you need dative because of af, so you get borðinu.

Is the word order fixed? Could I move things around?

The neutral order is exactly what you see: Subject – Verb – Object – Prepositional phrase.
You can reorder for emphasis, but Icelandic has rules (especially verb-second in main clauses when something else is fronted). For example:

  • Vatnið þurrkar hún af borðinu. = The water, she wipes off the table. (emphasis on vatnið)

The original is the most straightforward.

Can Icelandic drop the subject like Spanish (e.g., just “Wipes the water off the table”)?

Usually no. Icelandic generally requires an explicit subject, so you normally keep hún (or another subject). Dropping it is not standard in ordinary sentences.

How do I pronounce the tricky letters þ and ð in this sentence?
  • þ (thorn) is like English th in thin (voiceless). So þurrkar starts like th in think.
  • ð (eth) is like English th in this (voiced), but it often appears inside words and can be softer.

Also note: Icelandic stress is usually on the first syllable: Hún ÞURR-kar VAT-niÐ af BORÐ-inu (stress on the first syllable of each word).

Why is it Hún with an accent, and does it change pronunciation?

Yes. ú is a different vowel from u in Icelandic. The accent marks a distinct vowel quality (not just “stress”).
So hún is pronounced with a long/rounded ú sound (not like English “hun”).

Could I say á borðinu instead of af borðinu?

Not with the same meaning.

  • á borðinu = on the table (location)
  • af borðinu = off the table (removal from the surface)

In this sentence the point is removing the water from the table, so af borðinu is the right choice.