Breakdown of Þú þarft að hlaða tækið í einn klukkutíma.
þú
you
að
to (infinitive marker)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
einn
one
þurfa
to need
klukkutíminn
the hour
hlaða
to charge
tækið
the device
Questions & Answers about Þú þarft að hlaða tækið í einn klukkutíma.
Why do we use í here instead of fyrir to mean "for"?
When expressing how long an action lasts, Icelandic uses the preposition í followed by the accusative case. If you used fyrir here, it would sound like "an hour ago" (fyrir klukkutíma) instead of "for an hour"!
Why is the word for hour klukkutíma here instead of klukkutími?
The preposition í forces the time duration into the accusative case. Klukkutími is a masculine noun, and its accusative form drops the -i and adds an -a. The word einn (one) is also matching it in the masculine accusative form.
Is hlaða only used for charging electronics?
No, hlaða originally means "to load" or "to stack". While it is the standard word for charging a device or a battery today, you will also see it used for uploading a file, loading a truck, or stacking stones to build a wall.
Why is there an að between þarft and hlaða?
The verb þurfa (to need) must be followed by að when it connects to another verb in its dictionary form (the infinitive). It works exactly like the "to" in the English phrase "need to charge".
Learn Þú þarft að hlaða tækið í einn klukkutíma 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