Ég set sængina á rúmið.

I

Breakdown of Ég set sængina á rúmið.

• setja: to put
• á: on
• rúmið: the bed

Questions & Answers about Ég set sængina á rúmið.

Why is it ég set and not ég setja?

Because setja is the infinitive form of the verb, meaning to put / to set. In the sentence, the verb has to be conjugated to match the subject ég (I).

So:

• setja = to put
• ég set = I put / I am putting

This is a normal present-tense pattern for this verb:

• ég set = I put
• þú setur = you put
• hann/hún/það setur = he/she/it puts

So ég set sængina á rúmið uses the correct 1st person singular present tense.

What does sængina mean grammatically?

Sængina is the noun sæng with the definite article attached, and it is in the accusative singular.

Breakdown:

• sæng = duvet / quilt / comforter
• sængin = the duvet (nominative)
• sængina = the duvet (accusative)

Icelandic usually puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English does.

So instead of the duvet, Icelandic says sængin or sængina, depending on the case.

In this sentence, it is accusative because it is the direct object of set.