Icelandic strictly distinguishes between moving in a direction and being located in a place.
Moving Up and Down (Motion)
When actively moving, use upp (up) and niður (down).
| I take the elevator up. | Ég tek lyftuna upp. |
| Go carefully down the stairs! | Farðu varlega niður stigann! |
Being Upstairs and Downstairs (Position)
When you are already in a location, add -i to the directional word: uppi (up/upstairs) and niðri (down/downstairs).
| The family is upstairs. | Fjölskyldan er uppi. |
| The boy is waiting downstairs in the basement. | Strákurinn bíður niðri í kjallaranum. |
Motion vs. Position
Compare moving onto a roof versus already being there:
| The cat jumps up on the roof. | Kötturinn hoppar upp á þakið. |
| He sits up on the roof. | Hann situr uppi á þakinu. |
Similarly, contrast looking up at a ceiling versus something resting on it:
| Look up at the ceiling! | Horfðu upp í loftið! |
| The light is up in the ceiling. | Ljósið er uppi í loftinu. |
At the Top and Bottom
To describe the highest or lowest point of a space, use the static adverbs efst (at the top) and neðst (at the bottom).
| The apartment is at the top. | Íbúðin er efst. |
| The cat is at the bottom of the stairs. | Kötturinn er neðst í stiganum. |
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