Breakdown of Sá sem sefur í barnavagninum vaknar oft þegar strætóinn stoppar.
sofa
to sleep
í
in
þegar
when
oft
often
vakna
to wake up
strætóinn
the bus
sem
who
stoppa
to stop
sá
the one
barnavagnurinn
the stroller
Questions & Answers about Sá sem sefur í barnavagninum vaknar oft þegar strætóinn stoppar.
What does Sá sem mean at the start of the sentence?
Sá sem is a very common Icelandic pattern meaning the one who, the person who, or sometimes whoever, depending on context. Here it introduces a person by describing them: the one who sleeps in the stroller. The word sem is the relative word that connects sá to the description that follows.
Why is it sá and not sú or það?
Sá is masculine singular nominative. If the person referred to were specifically female, you would normally use sú sem instead. Það sem usually refers to a thing or idea, not a person. In traditional generic statements, Icelandic often uses masculine forms for an unspecified person, although speakers may also choose other wording.
Why is the verb sefur and not something more predictable like sofar?
The infinitive is sofa (to sleep), but it is an irregular verb. Its 3rd person singular present form is sefur, not sofar. Icelandic has many strong or irregular verbs where the vowel changes between forms, so sofa → sefur is something you simply have to learn as a pattern.
Does sefur mean sleeps or is sleeping?
It can mean either, depending on context. Icelandic does not use a separate continuous form as much as English does, so the simple present often covers both sleeps and is sleeping. In this sentence, the situation makes is sleeping the natural English meaning.
Why is it í barnavagninum? What case is that?
It is dative singular. The preposition í takes the dative when it means location, as in in or inside something. Since the person is already in the stroller, Icelandic uses í barnavagninum. If the meaning were motion into the stroller, accusative would normally be used instead.
How is barnavagninum built?
It is a compound noun. Barna- comes from barn (child) and vagn means something like wagon, carriage, or stroller/pram in this compound. The ending -inum shows dative singular definite, so barnavagninum means the stroller/pram in the dative form. Icelandic very often attaches the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.
What does vaknar mean, and how is it different from vekur?
Vakna means to wake up or to become awake, so vaknar means wakes up. By contrast, vekja means to wake someone else up, and vekur is its 3rd person singular present form. So barnið vaknar means the child wakes up, but mamman vekur barnið means the mother wakes the child up.
Why is oft placed after vaknar?
Oft means often, and this is normal Icelandic adverb placement. In a simple main clause, the finite verb commonly comes before adverbs like oft, so vaknar oft is exactly what you would expect. It sounds natural and idiomatic.
What does þegar mean here?
Here þegar means when. It introduces a time clause: þegar strætóinn stoppar = when the bus stops. In a sentence about something that happens repeatedly, English might sometimes use whenever as a more natural translation, but the Icelandic word here is still þegar.
Why is the order þegar strætóinn stoppar and not something with the verb earlier?
That is because þegar strætóinn stoppar is a subordinate clause. Icelandic main clauses often follow the V2 pattern, where the finite verb comes early, but subordinate clauses introduced by words like þegar do not behave the same way. After þegar, the normal order is subject + verb, so strætóinn stoppar is correct.
What exactly is strætóinn?
Strætó is the everyday Icelandic word for a city bus. The ending -inn is the definite article, so strætóinn means the bus. Again, Icelandic usually expresses the by adding it to the end of the noun.
What is the subject of vaknar in this sentence?
The whole phrase Sá sem sefur í barnavagninum is the subject of vaknar. Inside that subject, sem sefur í barnavagninum is a relative clause describing sá. So the structure is basically: [The one who sleeps in the stroller] [often wakes up] [when the bus stops].
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