Question 1

Why do we use mig twice in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

The two instances of mig are doing different jobs! The first mig is the logical subject of langar. The verb langa (to want) is impersonal and always forces the person wanting into the accusative case. The second mig is the object of farða (to put makeup on). Since you are applying makeup to yourself, you use mig as the reflexive "myself".

Question 2

Wait, so there is no special Icelandic word for "myself"?

Accepted Answer

Exactly! For the first and second person (I, you, we), Icelandic just reuses the regular object pronouns (mig, þig, okkur, etc.) instead of having a dedicated word for "myself" or "yourself". So að farða mig literally translates to "to put makeup on me". It is only in the third person (he, she, it, they) that Icelandic introduces a special reflexive word (sig).

Question 3

How would this change if I wanted to say "You want to put makeup on yourself"?

Accepted Answer

Both instances of mig would change to the second-person accusative pronoun þig. The sentence becomes: Þig langar að farða þig fyrir ballið. The first þig is used because langar needs an accusative subject, and the second þig acts as the reflexive "yourself".

Question 4

Why is the noun ballið in the accusative case here?

Accepted Answer

The preposition fyrir can trigger either the accusative or dative case depending on its meaning. When fyrir translates to "for" in the sense of an intended purpose or an event (like getting ready for the dance), it takes the accusative. Because ball is a neuter noun, its accusative definite form, ballið, looks exactly the same as its dictionary form.

Mig langar að farða mig fyrir ballið.

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