Breakdown of Ég vil ekki kaffi, heldur te.
ég
I
ekki
not
kaffið
the coffee
vilja
to want (to will, be willing)
teið
the tea
heldur
rather, but rather
Questions & Answers about Ég vil ekki kaffi, heldur te.
Why use heldur here instead of en for "but"?
In Icelandic, when you make a negative statement and then correct it with an alternative, you use heldur (meaning "but rather" or "instead"). If you used en, it would sound like you are just adding a contrasting thought, not replacing the coffee with tea.
What case are kaffi and te in here?
They are both in the accusative case because they are the direct objects you want (or don't want). Because they are both neuter words, their accusative forms look exactly the same as their basic dictionary forms.
I've seen heldur used as a verb. How do I know it's not a verb here?
The word heldur can also be the "he/she/it" form of the verb halda (to hold or to think). However, in this sentence it comes right after a comma following a negative statement. This is a classic pattern where heldur acts as a conjunction meaning "but rather".
Why is the verb vil instead of taking a regular ending?
The verb vilja (to want) is irregular. Unlike regular verbs that often take a specific ending for the first person singular, the "I" form of this verb is simply ég vil.
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