Breakdown of Við eigum erindi í blómabúðina.
við
we
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
eiga
to own / to have (a relationship)
erindið
the errand
blómabúðin
the flower shop
Questions & Answers about Við eigum erindi í blómabúðina.
Why does this sentence use eigum instead of höfum for "have"?
In Icelandic, eiga (to own) is used in many set phrases where English uses "have". The phrase eiga erindi translates to having a reason to go somewhere or having business there. You cannot use hafa in this context.
The English translation says "at the flower shop," but blómabúðina is in the accusative case. Why doesn't í take the dative case here for location?
Even though English says "at", the Icelandic phrase eiga erindi í implies motion or direction, as in having an errand to a place. Because it implies movement towards a destination, the preposition í triggers the accusative case (blómabúðina) rather than the dative for a fixed location (blómabúðinni).
Why doesn't erindi have a word for "an" in front of it?
Icelandic doesn't have an indefinite article like "a" or "an" in English. Furthermore, the phrase eiga erindi functions almost like a general concept meaning "to have business", so you just use the bare noun.
What are the parts that make up the word blómabúðina?
It is a compound of blóm (flower) and búð (shop). The -a in the middle is a connecting vowel that comes from the genitive plural of the first word, meaning it literally translates as a shop of flowers. The -ina at the end is the feminine accusative definite article meaning "the".
Since this lesson covers the recent perfect aspect, how would we change this sentence to say "We just had an errand at the flower shop"?
You would use the structure vera nýbúinn að followed by the infinitive. For the pronoun við, assuming a mixed-gender group, you would say Við erum nýbúin að eiga erindi í blómabúðina. The main verb eigum changes to its infinitive form eiga.
Learn Við eigum erindi í blómabúðina and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free