Breakdown of Ef tjaldið er blautt, sofum við inni.
vera
to be
inni
inside
við
we
sofa
to sleep
ef
if
tjaldið
the tent
blautur
wet
Questions & Answers about Ef tjaldið er blautt, sofum við inni.
Why is it "sofum við" instead of "við sofum" after the comma?
The ef (if) clause acts as one big block of information at the start of the sentence. Because Icelandic is a "verb-second" language, the main verb must come exactly in the second position. So, the verb sofum comes immediately after the comma, before the subject við.
Why does the adjective "blautt" end with a double "t"?
Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Tjald (tent) is a neuter noun. The standard dictionary form for "wet" is the masculine blautur, but to match the neuter noun tjaldið, it changes to the neuter form blautt.
Why do we use the word "inni" for "inside" instead of "inn"?
Icelandic has different words for locations depending on whether you are moving or staying still. Inn implies movement, like walking into a house. Inni means you are already stationary inside. Since you aren't moving to a new location while you sleep, we use the stationary form inni.
Do we need a future tense verb when using "ef" to talk about what might happen?
Not for simple, real conditions like this one! Just like in English (If it is wet, we sleep inside), Icelandic uses the present tense verbs er (is) and sofum (sleep) in both halves of the sentence to talk about a possible situation in the near future.
Learn Ef tjaldið er blautt, sofum við inni 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