Breakdown of Ég þarf að opna gluggann strax.
ég
I
glugginn
the window
að
to (infinitive marker)
opna
to open
Questions & Answers about Ég þarf að opna gluggann strax.
Since this lesson is about middle voice (-st) verbs, why do we use opna here instead of opnast?
Opna is the regular, active form of the verb, meaning to open something. Because you are actively doing the action to the window, you use opna. You would use the middle voice form opnast if the window were opening by itself, like in the sentence The window opens (Glugginn opnast).
Why is there an að before opna?
In Icelandic, when you have two verbs together like need to open, the second verb is in its dictionary form (the infinitive). The word að acts exactly like the English to in to open. You will almost always see þarf að (need to) followed by an infinitive verb.
Why is the word for window written as gluggann here?
Gluggi is the basic dictionary word for window, but here it changes to glugga because it is in the accusative case, acting as the direct object that is being opened. The -nn at the very end is the attached definite article, making it the window rather than just a window.
Could I put strax somewhere else in the sentence?
Adverbs of time like strax (right away) usually go at the very end of a basic sentence in Icelandic, just like they often do in English. Putting it at the end of this sentence is the most natural word order.