Ég kaupi notaðan bíl.

Ég means I.

The accent mark in Icelandic is part of the spelling, not just an optional pronunciation hint. É is a separate letter from E.

Ég is pronounced roughly like yegg or yegh, with a y-like sound at the beginning. The g at the end is not always pronounced like a strong English g in go; in normal speech it is often softer.

So:

• Ég = I
• do not pronounce it like plain English egg

Kaupi is the 1st person singular present tense form of the verb að kaupa (to buy).

So:

• að kaupa = to buy
• ég kaupi = I buy / I am buying

In Icelandic, the verb changes depending on the subject. That is why you get:

• ég kaupi = I buy
• þú kaupir = you buy
• hann/hún/það kaupir = he/she/it buys

So kaupi is the correct form because the subject is ég.

It can mean both, depending on context.

Icelandic does not usually make the same present simple vs. present continuous distinction that English does.

So Ég kaupi notaðan bíl could mean:

• I buy a used car
• I am buying a used car

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Because notaðan has to agree with bíl in gender, number, and case.

The noun bíll (car) is:

• masculine
• singular
• here it is in the accusative case

So the adjective must match that. The dictionary form of the adjective is notaður (used), but in this sentence it changes to:

• notaðan = masculine singular accusative

That is one of the big features of Icelandic grammar: adjectives change form to match the noun they describe.

Because the verb kaupa takes a direct object, and that object is normally in the accusative case.

The noun bíll is the nominative singular form, which is the basic dictionary form:

• bíll = a car / car

But as the object of kaupi, it becomes accusative:

• bíl

So:

• bíll = nominative
• bíl = accusative

That is why the sentence is Ég kaupi notaðan bíl.

The dictionary form tells you: bíll.

Many masculine Icelandic nouns have nominative singular endings like -ll, -nn, or -r, though you cannot rely on endings alone in every case. The best habit is to learn nouns together with their gender from the start.

So it is useful to learn:

• bíll = car, masculine

Once you know it is masculine, the adjective agreement makes more sense:

• notaður bíll = a used car
• ég kaupi notaðan bíl = I buy a used car

Icelandic does not have an indefinite article like English a/an.

So:

• bíll can mean car or a car, depending on context
• notaðan bíl = a used car / used car

If Icelandic wants to express the, it usually uses a definite ending attached to the noun:

• bíll = a car / car
• bíllinn = the car

So in your sentence, notaðan bíl naturally means a used car.

The basic word order here is:

• Ég = subject
• kaupi = verb
• notaðan bíl = object

So the pattern is:

Subject + Verb + Object

That is a very common Icelandic sentence pattern, especially in simple statements.

Yes. Icelandic often follows a verb-second pattern in main clauses, which means the finite verb is usually in the second position.

For example, besides:

• Ég kaupi notaðan bíl

you could also say:

• Núna kaupi ég notaðan bíl = Now I am buying a used car

Here Núna comes first, and the verb kaupi still stays in second position, before ég.

So Icelandic word order is flexible, but not random.

A rough English approximation is something like khoi-pih or køy-pih, though no English spelling matches it perfectly.

A few helpful points:

• au in Icelandic is a diphthong, not pronounced like English aw
• the stress is on the first syllable
• kaupi is pronounced roughly KAU-pi

If you are just starting out, the most important thing is to avoid pronouncing it exactly like English cow-pee.

Very roughly:

• notaðan ≈ NO-ta-than
• bíl ≈ beel

A few notes:

• stress usually falls on the first syllable: NO-ta-than
• the letter ð is like the th in this
• í is a long ee sound

So the whole phrase sounds roughly like:

• NO-ta-than beel

That is only an approximation, but it is a useful starting point.

The dictionary forms are:

• ég = I
• að kaupa = to buy
• notaður = used
• bíll = car

This is important because Icelandic words often appear in changed forms in actual sentences. For example:

• kaupi comes from að kaupa
• notaðan comes from notaður
• bíl comes from bíll

When learning vocabulary, it is best to memorize both the dictionary form and some common inflected forms.

It is indefinite.

notaðan bíl means a used car, not the used car.

If you wanted the used car, Icelandic would normally mark definiteness on the noun, for example:

• notaða bílinn = the used car

So:

• notaðan bíl = a used car
• notaða bílinn = the used car

Because Icelandic grammar marks relationships in more than one place.

In this sentence:

• the noun changes for case: bíll → bíl
• the adjective also changes to match the noun: notaður → notaðan

This is called agreement. Icelandic often gives you the same grammatical information on several words at once. For learners, that can seem complicated at first, but it also makes sentence structure very clear once you get used to it.