Eftir súpuna pöntum við eftirrétt, því stelpan vill eitthvað sætt.

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Breakdown of Eftir súpuna pöntum við eftirrétt, því stelpan vill eitthvað sætt.

• við: we
• súpan: the soup
• eftir: after

Questions & Answers about Eftir súpuna pöntum við eftirrétt, því stelpan vill eitthvað sætt.

Why is eftir used twice? Does it mean the same thing both times?

Not exactly.

• In Eftir súpuna, eftir is a preposition meaning after.
• In eftirrétt, eftir is part of a compound noun, literally something like after-course or after-dish, meaning dessert.

So the same word appears twice, but it has two different grammatical roles. Icelandic makes a lot of compound words like this.

Why is it pöntum við instead of við pöntum?

This is because Icelandic normally follows a verb-second pattern in main clauses.

If the sentence begins with something other than the subject, the finite verb usually comes next:

• Við pöntum eftirrétt. = We order dessert.
• Eftir súpuna pöntum við eftirrétt. = After the soup, we order dessert.

So Eftir súpuna takes the first slot, and pöntum must come second. Then the subject við comes after the verb.

Why is it súpuna and not just súpa?