Breakdown of Fuglinn flýgur þangað sem hann byggir hreiðrið og verpir.
og
and
hann
he
fuglinn
the bird
fljúga
to fly
byggja
to build
þangað sem
to where
verpa
to lay eggs
hreiðrið
the nest
Questions & Answers about Fuglinn flýgur þangað sem hann byggir hreiðrið og verpir.
Why do we use "þangað sem" instead of just "þar sem" here?
Þar sem means "where" in a stationary sense (being in a fixed location). Because the bird is actively flying towards a destination, we must use the directional word þangað (to there) combined with sem to mean "to where".
Why does the sentence use "hann" to mean "it"?
In Icelandic, pronouns must match the grammatical gender of the noun they replace. Since fugl (bird) is a masculine noun, you must use hann (he) to refer back to it, even though English uses "it" for most animals.
Why is there no word for "eggs" after "verpir"?
The verb að verpa specifically means "to lay eggs". Because the action of laying eggs is already built entirely into this specific verb, you do not need to add the Icelandic word for eggs (egg) after it.
Do I always need to add "sem" after "þangað"?
You only need sem here because it connects the two halves of the sentence, acting as a link that translates to "to where". If you just wanted to say "The bird flies there" as a simple statement, you would drop sem and just say Fuglinn flýgur þangað.
Learn Fuglinn flýgur þangað sem hann byggir hreiðrið og verpir 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