Ég get ekki notað símann minn, því skjárinn er skemmdur.

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Breakdown of Ég get ekki notað símann minn, því skjárinn er skemmdur.

• vera: to be
• ekki: not
• geta: can

Questions & Answers about Ég get ekki notað símann minn, því skjárinn er skemmdur.

Why is get used here for can?

Get is the 1st person singular present form of the verb geta, which means can / be able to.

• ég get = I can
• þú getur = you can
• hann/hún/það getur = he/she/it can

So Ég get ekki... literally starts as I can not...

Why does ekki come after get?

In a normal Icelandic main clause, the finite verb usually comes early, and ekki normally comes after that verb.

So:

• Ég get ekki... = I cannot...

This is the usual pattern:

• Ég er ekki hér. = I am not here.
• Hann kemur ekki. = He is not coming.

For an English speaker, it can feel a bit different because English often puts not right after an auxiliary, but in Icelandic this placement is very regular.

Why is it notað and not nota?