Breakdown of Ef það rignir mikið, förum við ekki á tjaldstæðið.
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
ekki
not
við
we
mikið
a lot
fara
to go
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
rigna
to rain
ef
if
tjaldstæðið
the campsite
Questions & Answers about Ef það rignir mikið, förum við ekki á tjaldstæðið.
Why is the second part of the sentence förum við (go we) instead of við förum (we go)?
The English translation says 'we are not going', but the Icelandic verb förum is in the present tense. Why?
Icelandic does not have a dedicated future tense. Instead, the present tense is commonly used to talk about the future, especially in conditional sentences starting with ef (if). The context makes it clear that the event hasn't happened yet.
Why do we use the preposition á for going to the campsite?
In Icelandic, á (literally 'on') is used for open, flat areas or designated outdoor spaces. Because a campsite is an open piece of land, you go 'onto' it rather than 'into' it (which would be í).
Is tjaldstæðið in the accusative case here?
Yes! The preposition á can take either the accusative or dative case. Because this sentence describes movement towards a destination, it triggers the accusative case. If we were already hanging out at the campsite, it would take the dative case (á tjaldstæðinu).
How is the word tjaldstæðið built?
It is a compound word made of tjald (tent) and stæði (a spot or space), plus the attached neuter definite article -ð (the). It literally means 'the tent space'.
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