Breakdown of Stoppið núna og horfið á töfluna!
og
and
núna
now
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
horfa
to watch
stoppa
to stop (moving) / to stop (someone/something)
taflan
the board
Questions & Answers about Stoppið núna og horfið á töfluna!
How do we know stoppið and horfið are commands to a group of people rather than just one person?
The -ið ending tells us this is a plural command (telling 'you all' to do something). If the speaker were talking to just one person, they would use the singular forms: stoppaðu and horfðu.
How are the plural commands stoppið and horfið formed?
You take the infinitive (dictionary) form of the verb, drop the final -a, and add -ið. For example, stoppa (to stop) becomes stopp- plus -ið, which makes stoppið. The exact same rule turns horfa (to look) into horfið.
Why isn't there a pronoun like þið (you plural) in this sentence?
Just like in English, you usually drop the word 'you' when giving a command. Saying stoppið instead of þið stoppið makes it an immediate command ('Stop!') rather than a statement of fact ('You are stopping').
Why is the word for board written as töfluna here instead of its basic form tafla?
The verb phrase horfa á (to look at) requires the following noun to be in the accusative case, which changes tafla to töflu. Because we mean 'the board' and not just 'a board', we add the definite article ending to the word, turning töflu into töfluna.
Learn Stoppið núna og horfið á töfluna 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