Ég stíg varlega niður stigann.

I

Breakdown of Ég stíg varlega niður stigann.

• stiginn: the stairs
• varlega: carefully
• niður: down

Questions & Answers about Ég stíg varlega niður stigann.

Why is the verb stíg and not stíga?

Stíga is the dictionary form, meaning to step or to stride.

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

• ég stíg = I step
• þú stígur = you step
• hann/hún/það stígur = he/she/it steps

So Ég stíg varlega niður stigann literally starts with I step carefully ...

What exactly does stíga mean here? Is it the same as walk?

Not exactly. Stíga is more specifically to step than to walk.

So this sentence gives a sense of:

• I step carefully down the stairs
• I go carefully down the stairs

Compared with other common verbs:

• ganga = to walk
• fara = to go
• stíga = to step, often with attention to the movement of the feet

In this sentence, stíga fits well because going down stairs often involves careful stepping.

What does varlega mean, and why is it placed there?