Ekki öskra í stofunni; amma sefur.

not

Breakdown of Ekki öskra í stofunni; amma sefur.

• sofa: to sleep
• í: in
• stofan: the living room

Questions & Answers about Ekki öskra í stofunni; amma sefur.

Why is öskra written without að?

Because this is a bare infinitive. In dictionaries, the verb is usually given as að öskra. But after ekki in a negative command, Icelandic normally drops að.

So:

• að öskra = to shout
• Ekki öskra = Don’t shout

It works a bit like English don’t shout, not don’t to shout.

Is Ekki öskra a normal way to make a negative command?

Yes — it is very normal and very common.

In Icelandic, one frequent way to tell someone not to do something is:

• ekki + bare infinitive

Examples:

• Ekki fara! = Don’t go!
• Ekki snerta þetta! = Don’t touch this!
• Ekki öskra! = Don’t shout!

So this sentence uses a standard everyday pattern.

Could you also say Öskraðu ekki?