Word
Hún kveikti á sjónvarpinu.
Meaning
She turned on the television.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Hún kveikti á sjónvarpinu.
hún
she
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
sjónvarpið
the television
kveikja
to turn on, to light (kveikja á + Dat)
Questions & Answers about Hún kveikti á sjónvarpinu.
I learned that kveikja means to light or ignite. Why is it used here for a television?
In modern Icelandic, the meaning of kveikja has naturally extended from lighting a fire or candle to turning on electrical devices. You use kveikja á for turning on screens, lights, and household appliances.
Why is sjónvarpinu in the dative case here?
The phrasal verb kveikja á requires the noun that follows to be in the dative case. The base neuter noun sjónvarp becomes sjónvarpi in the dative, and adding the definite article makes it sjónvarpinu.
How would I say she turned the television off?
You would use the verb slökkva (to extinguish), which also pairs with the preposition á and the dative case. The opposite sentence would be: Hún slökkti á sjónvarpinu.
Can I use opna to mean turning on the TV, like people sometimes say in other languages?
No, opna is strictly used for physically opening things, like a door, a window, or a box. For starting up electronic devices, you must always use kveikja á.