Questions & Answers about Mér líður illa í dag.
Why does the sentence start with mér instead of ég?
Because líða in this meaning is used with the person in the dative case, not the nominative.
So Icelandic says:
- mér líður illa = I feel bad
even though word-for-word it is closer to:
- to me feels badly / to me it feels bad
Here, mér is the dative form of ég:
- ég = I
- mér = to me / me, in dative use
This is a very common pattern in Icelandic with feelings and experiences.
What does líður mean here?
Líður is the present tense form of the verb líða.
In this sentence, líða means something like:
- to feel
- to be doing
- to be faring
So mér líður illa means I feel bad or I am feeling unwell.
Be aware that líða can also mean to pass when talking about time:
- Tíminn líður hratt = Time passes quickly
So the verb has more than one use.
Why is the verb líður singular?