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Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Ég horfi í gegnum gluggann. - I look through the window.

Hardcore Icelandic
/Lesson 43
/Ég horfi í gegnum gluggann.

Ég horfi í gegnum gluggann.

Ég horfi í gegnum gluggann.

I look through the window.

Breakdown of Ég horfi í gegnum gluggann.

Questions & Answers about Ég horfi í gegnum gluggann.

Why is it horfi and not horfa?

Horfa is the infinitive, meaning to look or to watch.

In the sentence, the verb has to match ég (I), so it changes to the 1st person singular present tense:

ég horfi = I look / I am looking
þú horfir = you look
hann/hún/það horfir = he/she/it looks

So Ég horfi ... is the correct finite verb form for I.

Does Ég horfi í gegnum gluggann mean I look or I am looking?

It can mean either, depending on context.

In Icelandic, the simple present often covers both:

I look through the window
I am looking through the window

If you want to emphasize that the action is happening right now, Icelandic can also use vera að + infinitive:

Ég er að horfa í gegnum gluggann.

But the shorter sentence Ég horfi í gegnum gluggann is perfectly normal.

What does í gegnum mean here?

Í gegnum means through.

It is a very common Icelandic expression and functions much like a preposition in English. In this sentence, it introduces the thing that someone is looking through:

í gegnum gluggann = through the window

It is normally written as two words: í gegnum.

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Why is it gluggann instead of gluggi?

The basic noun is gluggi, which means window.

Here it appears as gluggann because:

it is definite = the window
it is in the accusative singular

So:

gluggi = window
gluggann = the window

Unlike English, Icelandic usually adds the as an ending on the noun rather than using a separate word.

Why is gluggann in the accusative case?

Because í gegnum takes the accusative.

So the noun after it has to be in accusative form:

glugga = a window
gluggann = the window

This is something learners often just have to memorize together with the expression:

í gegnum + accusative

What is the difference between horfa á and horfa í gegnum?

The preposition changes the meaning quite a lot.

horfa á gluggann = look at the window
horfa í gegnum gluggann = look through the window

So horfa á focuses on the object you are looking at, while horfa í gegnum focuses on looking through something.

Is this the normal way to say look out the window?

It can be correct, but there is a small nuance.

horfa í gegnum gluggann = look through the window
horfa út um gluggann = look out of the window / look out the window

If the idea is simply that someone is gazing outside, Icelandic very often uses út um gluggann.

If the idea is more literally through the window, then í gegnum gluggann works well.

Can I leave out ég?

As a learner, you should normally keep it.

Icelandic verbs do show person and number, but subject pronouns are still commonly expressed in ordinary sentences. So the neutral, standard form is:

Ég horfi í gegnum gluggann.

Leaving out ég is not the normal default in the way it is in some other languages.

Can the word order change?

Yes, but Ég horfi í gegnum gluggann is the normal, neutral word order.

Icelandic does allow other orders for emphasis. For example, you could put the prepositional phrase first:

Í gegnum gluggann horfi ég.

That sounds more marked or literary, because it highlights through the window.

A useful rule for learners is: start with the standard order unless you have a reason to emphasize something.

How would this look without the?

Then you would use the indefinite accusative form:

Ég horfi í gegnum glugga. = I look through a window.

Compare:

glugga = a window
gluggann = the window

So the ending changes depending on whether the noun is indefinite or definite.

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