Negative Commands: Ekki + Infinitive
Icelandic public swimming pools are beloved national institutions, but they come with very strict rules for hygiene and safety.
If someone needs to tell you not to do something, they will use a negative command. Fortunately, forming negative commands in Icelandic is incredibly simple. While positive commands require specific imperative verb forms, a negative command simply uses the word ekki (not) followed immediately by the bare infinitive of the verb (the dictionary form, without the marker að).
| Do not pee in the swimming pool! | Ekki pissa í sundlaugina! |
| Do not splash! | Ekki sletta! |
Pool Rules and Safety
Because the formula is just ekki + infinitive, you can easily understand safety instructions as long as you know the verb.
Keep an ear out for these commands if you are near the edge of the pool (kanturinn), using a floatie (kúturinn), or heading for the water slide (rennibrautin). And remember to always listen to the lifeguard (laugavörðurinn)!
| Do not walk on the edge. | Ekki ganga á kantinum. |
| Do not touch the bottom. | Ekki snerta botninn. |
| Do not go into the water slide with the floatie. | Ekki fara í rennibrautina með kútinn. |
| The lifeguard called: „Do not touch the sign!“ | Laugavörðurinn kallaði: „Ekki snerta skiltið!“ |
| Do not run near the water slide. | Ekki hlaupa nálægt rennibrautinni. |
