Ég set smá kanil og engifer í teið.

I put a little cinnamon and ginger into the tea.

Breakdown of Ég set smá kanil og engifer í teið.

• ég: I
• setja: to put
• og: and
• í: into

Questions & Answers about Ég set smá kanil og engifer í teið.

What form is set, and what verb does it come from?

Set is the 1st person singular present tense of setja.

• setja = to put, place, set, add
• ég set = I put / I add

In a sentence like this, English often translates setja as add, even though the basic meaning is put.

Why is smá used here?

Here smá means a little or some.

It is very common before uncountable things like spices, food, or ingredients:

• smá sykur = a little sugar
• smá mjólk = a little milk
• smá kanil = a little cinnamon

In this use, smá behaves like a quantity word and usually stays the same form.

Why is it kanil and not kanill?

Because kanill is the dictionary form or nominative singular, but here the word is the direct object of setja, so it appears in the accusative.

• nominative: kanill
• accusative: kanil

So:

• Ég set kanil ... = I put cinnamon ...

This is a very common pattern with masculine nouns in Icelandic.

Why does engifer stay the same?