Breakdown of Mig langar að nudda mjóbakið á þér.
ég
I
þú
you
langa
to want
að
to (infinitive marker)
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
nudda
to massage
mjóbakið
the lower back
Questions & Answers about Mig langar að nudda mjóbakið á þér.
Why does this sentence use á þér instead of the possessive word þitt to mean your?
This sentence demonstrates how Icelandic handles external body parts. Instead of using a direct possessive pronoun like þitt, you use the definite form of the body part (mjóbakið) followed by the preposition á and the dative form of the pronoun (þér).
Why does the sentence start with mig instead of ég?
The verb langa (to want) is an impersonal verb. This means the person experiencing the desire is not the grammatical subject in the nominative case. Instead, langa forces the experiencer into the accusative case, changing ég to mig.
What case is mjóbakið in, and why?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object receiving the action of the verb nudda (to massage). Because bak is a neuter noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its nominative form.
How is the word mjóbakið built?
It is a compound word made from mjór (narrow or thin) and bak (back), with the neuter definite article -ið attached at the end. Icelanders literally refer to the lower back as the narrow back!
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