Breakdown of Ég tek mína eigin glósubók með mér á fundinn.
Questions & Answers about Ég tek mína eigin glósubók með mér á fundinn.
What is tek? What is the dictionary form of the verb?
Tek is the 1st person singular present tense of taka, meaning to take.
So:
- ég tek = I take
- þú tekur = you take
- hann/hún/það tekur = he/she/it takes
It is an irregular verb, so the stem changes from tak- to tek- in the present singular.
Why is it mína and not mín?
Because glósubók is the direct object of tek, and direct objects after taka are normally in the accusative.
Also, glósubók is feminine singular, so the possessive adjective minn has to agree with it in:
- gender
- number
- case
Here that gives:
- mína = feminine, singular, accusative
Compare:
- mín glósubók = my notebook, nominative
- mína glósubók = my notebook, accusative
What does eigin mean here?
Eigin means own.
So mína eigin glósubók means my own notebook. It adds emphasis: this is not just a notebook that belongs to me, but specifically my own one, not someone else’s.
Without eigin:
- mína glósubók = my notebook
With eigin:
- mína eigin glósubók = my own notebook
Why is eigin in that form? Should it change too?
Yes. Eigin also agrees with the noun, just like mína does.
In mína eigin glósubók, it matches glósubók, which is:
- feminine
- singular
- accusative
The form eigin happens to be the correct agreeing form here.
So both mína and eigin are shaped by glósubók.
Why is there no definite article on glósubók?
Because Icelandic normally does not use the definite article on a noun when a possessive comes before it.
So you get:
- mína eigin glósubók = my own notebook
not:
- mína eigin glósubókina
A useful pattern is:
- possessive before noun → usually no article
- possessive after noun → noun often does take the article
For example:
- mína glósubók
- glósubókina mína
Both can mean my notebook, but the structure is different.
Could I also say glósubókina mína instead?
Yes. That would be very natural Icelandic.
For example:
- Ég tek glósubókina mína með mér á fundinn.
That means essentially the same thing as the original sentence.
The difference is mainly one of structure and emphasis:
- mína eigin glósubók feels a bit more emphatic, especially because of eigin
- glósubókina mína is a very common everyday way to say my notebook
Why is it með mér?
Because after the preposition með, the pronoun appears in an oblique case form, and in this expression the correct form is mér.
The pronoun forms are:
- ég = I
- mig = me
- mér = to me / me, depending on structure
In the phrase með mér, you must use mér.
So:
- með mér = with me
This is part of a very common pattern:
- taka eitthvað með mér = take something with me
- taka eitthvað með þér = take something with you
- taka eitthvað með sér = take something with him/her/oneself
Why is it á fundinn and not á fundi?
Because á often changes meaning depending on case:
- á + accusative = movement toward / to
- á + dative = location / being at
Here the meaning is to the meeting, so Icelandic uses the accusative:
- á fundinn = to the meeting
Compare:
- á fundi = at a meeting
- á fundinum = at the meeting
So the sentence is talking about taking the notebook to the meeting, not already being at the meeting.
Why is it fundinn specifically?
Fundinn is the accusative singular definite form of fundur, meaning meeting.
So:
- fundur = a meeting
- fundinn = the meeting, accusative
It is accusative because it follows á in a motion-toward sense, and it is definite because the speaker means a specific meeting.
Is taka ... með mér the normal way to say bring/take with me?
Yes, very much so.
Icelandic often uses:
- taka
- object + með mér/þér/sér
So:
- Ég tek bókina með mér = I take the book with me / I bring the book with me
This is a normal and idiomatic way to express the idea of bringing something along.
English often chooses between take and bring depending on point of view. Icelandic often simply uses taka in this kind of sentence and lets the context do the rest.
What kind of word is glósubók?
It is a compound noun:
- glósa = note, gloss
- bók = book
So glósubók is literally something like note-book.
A useful thing to know about Icelandic compounds is that the last part usually determines the gender. Since bók is feminine, glósubók is feminine too. That is why the sentence has:
- mína
- not minn
- and not mitt
Is the word order fixed in this sentence?
The given word order is very natural and neutral:
- Ég tek mína eigin glósubók með mér á fundinn.
But Icelandic word order is somewhat flexible. You can move parts around for emphasis, especially because main clauses follow the verb-second pattern.
For example:
- Á fundinn tek ég mína eigin glósubók með mér.
That is still grammatical, but more marked.
For learners, the original order is a very good default:
- subject
- verb
- object
- prepositional phrases
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