Breakdown of Eftir ferðalagið er barnið um það bil að sofna.
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
barnið
the child
að
to (infinitive marker)
um
about
eftir
after / for (waiting for)
ferðalagið
the trip (longer journey)
sofna
to fall asleep
bilið
the gap
Questions & Answers about Eftir ferðalagið er barnið um það bil að sofna.
What is the literal meaning of um það bil að, and how does it create the immediate future here?
Literally, um það bil means "around that interval" or "approximately." When combined with the verb vera (here as er) and the infinitive marker að, it acts just like the English phrase "to be about to" do something. It shows that the action of falling asleep is imminent.
Why do we use the verb sofna instead of sofa here?
Sofa describes the ongoing state of sleeping, whereas sofna describes the transition of falling asleep. Since the child is "about to" enter that state, you must use the transitional verb sofna.
Why does the verb er come before the subject barnið?
What case is ferðalagið in, and why?
It is in the accusative case. When the preposition eftir is used to mean "after" in a temporal sense (referring to time), it governs the accusative. Because ferðalag is a neuter noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its nominative form.
Learn Eftir ferðalagið er barnið um það bil að sofna 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