Questions & Answers about Farðu varlega niður stigann!
Why does this sentence use niður instead of niðri?
niður is used when there is motion involved, meaning downwards. Because the command is to go down the stairs, we use the motion word niður. If someone was already standing at the bottom of the stairs, you would use the stationary word niðri (down there).
Why is it farðu instead of just fara?
Farðu is a command. It is made by taking the imperative form far (go!) and sticking the pronoun þú (you) onto the end of it. This merging of the verb and pronoun is extremely common in Icelandic commands.
Why is the word for stairs (stigann) in the accusative case here?
When you are moving along or through a path, such as walking up or down stairs, Icelandic puts that path in the accusative case. The motion word niður combined with the verb fara triggers this accusative form.
What is the -lega ending on varlega?
The -lega ending is the Icelandic equivalent of adding '-ly' to an English word. It turns an adjective into an adverb. Here, it changes the base word for careful into varlega, meaning carefully.