Skrifaðu þetta niður.

Write this down.

Breakdown of Skrifaðu þetta niður.

• þetta: this
• skrifa niður: to write down

Questions & Answers about Skrifaðu þetta niður.

What form is Skrifaðu?

Skrifaðu is the singular imperative of skrifa (to write).

It is the form you use when telling one person to do something:

• skrifa = to write
• Skrifaðu! = Write!

So in this sentence, the speaker is giving a direct instruction to one person.

What is the dictionary form of the verb here?

The dictionary form is skrifa.

However, in this sentence the full idea is really skrifa niður, which works like write down / note down.

So if you look it up, you may find:

• skrifa = write
• skrifa niður = write down, note down

Why does Skrifaðu end in -ðu?

That -ðu is a very common ending in the singular imperative of Icelandic verbs.

For many verbs, when you tell one person to do something, you get forms like:

• komdu = come
• farðu = go
• skrifaðu = write

So the -ðu ending is a good thing to recognize as a command to one person.

What does þetta mean grammatically in this sentence?