Breakdown of Ég á engan pening og ekkert bensín!
og
and
ég
I
eiga
to own / to have (a relationship)
enginn
no one / nobody / no (m/f)
ekkert
nothing / no (neut.)
bensínið
the petrol / the gas
peningurinn
the money
Questions & Answers about Ég á engan pening og ekkert bensín!
Why are there two different words for 'no' (engan and ekkert) in the same sentence?
The word for 'no' or 'none' (enginn) changes to match the gender and case of the noun it describes. Both nouns here are in the accusative case because they are the direct objects of the verb á (have/own). However, peningur (money) is a masculine noun, so it takes the masculine accusative form engan. Bensín (petrol) is neuter, so it takes the neuter accusative form ekkert.
Why is pening missing the -ur ending we usually see in the dictionary word peningur?
Because it is in the accusative case. Masculine nouns that end in -ur in their dictionary form (the nominative case) usually drop that -ur when they become the object of an action.
Why does this sentence use á (from eiga) instead of hef (from hafa) for 'have'?
In Icelandic, eiga is used when you are talking about owning or possessing something tangible, like money, a car, or property. Hafa is mostly used as a helping verb (like 'I have seen it') or for abstract concepts (like having an idea). Since you physically possess money and petrol, eiga is the right choice here.
In English we often say 'I do not have any money'. Can I just use ekki (not) instead of engan?
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