Barnið vill fela bangsann undir teppinu.

Barn is the basic dictionary form, meaning child.

Barnið means the child. Icelandic usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

• barn = child
• barnið = the child

Also, barn is a neuter noun, and -ið is the definite ending here.

Vill is the present tense, 3rd person singular form of the verb vilja = to want.

Since barnið is it / the child, Icelandic uses the singular form:

• ég vil = I want
• þú vilt = you want
• hann/hún/það vill = he/she/it wants

So barnið vill means the child wants.

After vilja (to want), the next verb normally appears in the infinitive.

So:

• vill fela = wants to hide

Notice that Icelandic often does not use a separate word matching English to in this kind of structure. English says wants to hide, but Icelandic simply says vill fela.

In Icelandic, after modal-like verbs and verbs such as vilja, the infinitive usually appears without að.

So:

• barnið vill fela... = the child wants to hide...

But in other contexts, Icelandic can use að before an infinitive. For example, in a dictionary or a basic infinitive phrase:

• að fela = to hide

So að exists, but it is not used here after vill.

Bangsi is the basic form, meaning teddy bear.

Here it appears as bangsann because it is the direct object of fela and it is definite.

So the sentence is using the form meaning the teddy bear as the thing being hidden.

Breakdown:

• bangsi = teddy bear
• bangsann = the teddy bear (accusative singular definite)

This happens because many Icelandic nouns change form depending on their grammatical role in the sentence.

Bangsann is in the accusative singular.

It is accusative because it is the direct object of the verb fela. In other words, it is the thing that is being hidden.

A very common pattern in Icelandic is:

• subject in nominative
• direct object in accusative

So here:

• barnið = subject
• bangsann = direct object

Teppinu is the dative singular definite form of teppi = blanket.

The preposition undir can take different cases depending on meaning:

• accusative for movement/direction: going to a position under something
• dative for location: being in a position under something

Here the phrase describes where the teddy bear is being hidden, as a location: under the blanket. That is why teppinu is in the dative.

So:

• teppi = blanket
• teppið = the blanket
• teppinu = the blanket (dative form)

A helpful rule is:

• Where to? → often accusative
• Where? → often dative

With undir:

• undir teppið can suggest movement to a place under the blanket
• undir teppinu describes location under the blanket

In real sentences, the distinction can sometimes feel subtle, but this location-vs-direction contrast is the main idea.

The sentence follows a very common Icelandic pattern:

• Barnið = subject
• vill = finite verb
• fela = infinitive
• bangsann = object
• undir teppinu = prepositional phrase

So the structure is roughly:

Subject + verb + infinitive + object + place phrase

That is very natural in Icelandic.

Yes. Icelandic word order is flexible, but not random.

In a neutral main clause, Barnið vill fela bangsann undir teppinu is very natural.

Other orders are possible for emphasis, topic, or style, but Icelandic still follows important rules such as the verb-second tendency in main clauses.

For a learner, the given order is the best one to treat as the normal pattern.

Yes, grammatically barn is a neuter noun, so Icelandic uses neuter agreement with it.

That means you may see forms connected with það (it) when referring back to barnið.

This is grammatical gender, not necessarily biological sex. Icelandic nouns belong to grammatical genders: masculine, feminine, or neuter.

A rough English-friendly guide would be something like:

BAR-nith vil FEH-la BANG-san UN-dir TEP-pi-nu

A few notes:

• ð in barnið is like the th in this
• ll in vill does not sound exactly like English ll, but many learners start with a simple l sound approximation
• stress usually falls on the first syllable of each word

This is only approximate, but it is a useful starting point.

The dictionary forms are:

• barn = child
• vilja = to want
• fela = to hide
• bangsi = teddy bear
• undir = under
• teppi = blanket

This is useful because Icelandic words often appear in changed forms in actual sentences, especially nouns with case and definiteness endings, and verbs with tense/person endings.