Ég man það ekki rétt.

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Breakdown of Ég man það ekki rétt.

• það: it
• ekki: not
• muna: to remember
• rétt: just

Questions & Answers about Ég man það ekki rétt.

Why is the verb man and not muna?

Muna is the infinitive, meaning to remember.
Man is the 1st person singular present tense form, so it means I remember.

So:

• að muna = to remember
• ég man = I remember

This verb is a little irregular, so learners often notice that man does not look much like muna.

What does each word do in Ég man það ekki rétt?

Here is the sentence piece by piece:

• Ég = I
• man = remember
• það = it / that
• ekki = not
• rétt = correctly / right

So the structure is basically:

I remember it not correctly
which in natural English becomes something like I don’t remember it correctly or I don’t remember it right.

Why is það in the sentence?

Það is the object of the verb man. It refers to it or that, depending on context.

In English, we often need an object too:

• I remember it
• I don’t remember that correctly

So in Icelandic, Ég man það ekki rétt includes það because the speaker is remembering something specific.

If you remove það, the meaning changes slightly:

• Ég man ekki rétt = I don’t remember correctly

That version is more general.
With það, the speaker is saying they do not remember that particular thing correctly.

Does það mean it or that here?

It can be understood as either it or that, depending on context.

Icelandic það is often used where English might use:

• it
• that

For example:

• Ég man það ekki rétt = I don’t remember it correctly
• Ég man það ekki rétt = I don’t remember that correctly

English chooses between it and that based on style and context, but Icelandic often just uses það.

Why does ekki come after það?

In Icelandic, ekki usually comes after the finite verb, and if there is a direct object pronoun like það, that pronoun can appear before ekki.

So this order is natural:

• Ég man það ekki rétt

A useful way to see it is:

• Ég = subject
• man = finite verb
• það = object
• ekki = negation
• rétt = adverb

English uses do not remember, but Icelandic does not need an extra do. It simply places ekki in the sentence to make it negative.

Can I say Ég man ekki það rétt instead?

Usually, Ég man það ekki rétt is the more natural order.

Putting ekki before það is generally less natural in a normal sentence like this. Icelandic word order is flexible in some contexts, but not every rearrangement sounds idiomatic.

So for learners, the safest version is:

• Ég man það ekki rétt

What is rétt doing here? Isn’t it an adjective meaning right or correct?

Yes, rétt often means right or correct, but here it functions adverbially, meaning correctly.

English often uses correctly, while Icelandic can use rétt in this kind of sentence:

• Þú hefur rétt fyrir þér = You are right
• Ég man það rétt = I remember it correctly

So in this sentence, rétt describes how the speaker remembers something.

Could I also say Ég man það rangt?

Yes, that is possible, but it means something slightly different in tone.

• Ég man það ekki rétt = I don’t remember it correctly
• Ég man það rangt = I remember it wrongly / incorrectly

The first version is often softer or more natural in everyday speech, because it focuses on not remembering correctly rather than directly saying I remember it wrong.

Is this a common way to say I don’t remember correctly in Icelandic?

Yes, it is very natural.

Common related sentences are:

• Ég man það ekki rétt. = I don’t remember it correctly.
• Ég man ekki alveg. = I don’t quite remember.
• Ég man þetta ekki vel. = I don’t remember this well.

So the sentence you gave is a normal, idiomatic way to express uncertainty about a memory.

What is the difference between það and þetta here?

Both can refer to something, but they are not exactly the same.

• það = it / that
• þetta = this

So:

• Ég man það ekki rétt = I don’t remember it/that correctly
• Ég man þetta ekki rétt = I don’t remember this correctly

Use þetta when the thing feels closer, more immediate, or is being pointed out as this. Use það when it is more like that or it.

How is Ég man það ekki rétt pronounced?

A careful approximation is:

yeg man tha(th) eh-kki ryeht

A few pronunciation notes:

• Ég sounds roughly like yeg
• þ in það is like th in thin
• ekki has a clear kk sound
• rétt has a rolled or tapped r and a sharp tt

Pronunciation varies a bit by speaker, but the main challenge for English speakers is usually þ, the Icelandic r, and the double consonants.

If the sentence started with another word, would the verb still stay in second position?

Yes, Icelandic often follows a verb-second pattern in main clauses.

Your sentence starts with the subject:

• Ég man það ekki rétt.

But if you move another element to the front, the finite verb usually stays second:

• Það man ég ekki rétt.

That version is more marked and gives special emphasis, something like That, I don’t remember correctly.

So this sentence is also useful for noticing a broader Icelandic pattern: in many main clauses, the finite verb wants to be in the second position.