Breakdown of Ég er með nýja fartölvu og bakpokann.
vera
to be
og
and
ég
I
nýr
new
með
with
fartölvan
the laptop
bakpokinn
the backpack
Questions & Answers about Ég er með nýja fartölvu og bakpokann.
Why does this sentence use er með instead of a regular verb for 'to have'?
In Icelandic, að vera með (literally 'to be with') is used for things you are physically carrying, holding, or wearing right now. If you just owned the laptop but it was sitting at home, you would use the verb að hafa (to have) instead.
Why are the words for 'laptop' and 'backpack' in the accusative case?
When the phrase vera með is used for physical possession or clothing, the items you are carrying must be in the accusative case. That is why the dictionary forms fartölva and bakpoki change to fartölvu and bakpoka (before adding the 'the' ending).
Why is the word for 'new' spelled nýja?
Adjectives must match the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe. Because fartölvu is a feminine, singular noun in the accusative case, the adjective ný (new) changes to its feminine accusative form, nýja.
How does the word bakpokann mean 'the backpack'?
In Icelandic, the word for 'the' is usually attached to the end of the noun as a suffix rather than being a separate word. The accusative form of the base word is bakpoka, and we add the masculine accusative definite suffix -nn to the end to get bakpokann ('the backpack').
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