Breakdown of Ekki pissa í sundlaugina!
ekki
not
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
sundlaugin
the swimming pool
pissa
to pee
Questions & Answers about Ekki pissa í sundlaugina!
Why do we use pissa here instead of the imperative command form like pissaðu?
This is the standard way to form negative commands or prohibitions in Icelandic. Instead of using the imperative, you use ekki followed by the bare infinitive, which is the dictionary form of the verb without að.
Could I say Pissaðu ekki í sundlaugina using the imperative?
Grammatically, yes. You can negate a command by putting ekki after the imperative. However, starting with ekki plus the bare infinitive is much more common and sounds more natural for general rules, signs, and strong prohibitions like this.
Why is sundlaugina in the accusative case? Aren't you already physically located in the pool?
The preposition í takes the accusative here because the action is directed into the pool, treating it as a destination or container. Even if you are already swimming in it, the liquid is moving into a space, which triggers the accusative case for motion. This is similar to the idiom að pissa í buxurnar meaning to pee one's pants.
What are the root words that make up sundlaugina?
It is a compound of sund meaning swimming and laug meaning pool. Because it is a feminine noun in the accusative singular, the definite article suffix attached to the end is -ina, meaning 'the'.