mig langar

Wanting (Mig Langar)

Level 1

Mig langar means I want or I'd like: Mig langar í kaffi (I'd like a coffee).

How It Works

The person is not in the nominative. Most verbs start with ég, þú or hún. langa is one of the verbs with an oblique subject: the person who wants something is in the accusative (mig/þig/hann/hana):

  • mig langar (I want)
  • þig langar (you want)
  • hann / hana langar (he / she wants)
  • okkur langar (we want)
  • ykkur langar (you all want)
  • þá / þær / þau langar (they want)

The verb never changes. It is always langar in the present and langaði in the past, whoever the person is.

What you want.

  • A thing: langa í + accusative: Mig langar í ís (I'd like some ice cream).
  • An action: langa að + infinitive: Mig langar að læra íslensku. You will also hear langa til að with the same meaning.
  • A place: Mig langar heim (I want to go home).

Questions. The verb comes first: Langar þig í kaffi? (Would you like a coffee?). Hvað langar þig að gera? (What would you like to do?).

Standard form. Some speakers say mér langar with the dative. This is called þágufallssýki. It is not standard, and it is corrected in school and in writing. The standard form is mig langar. mig vantar works the same way, while mér finnst really does take the dative.

Examples (6)

  1. Mig langar í kaffi.

    I'd like a coffee.

    Word by Word: Me longs into coffee.

    langa í + a thing.

  2. Mig langar að fara til Íslands.

    I want to go to Iceland.

    Word by Word: Me longs to go to Iceland.

    langa að + a verb.

  3. Langar þig í ís?

    Would you like some ice cream?

    Word by Word: Longs you into ice-cream?

  4. Hana langar að læra á píanó.

    She wants to learn the piano.

    Word by Word: Her longs to learn on piano.

    hana is the accusative of hún.

  5. Okkur langar ekki heim strax.

    We don't want to go home yet.

    Word by Word: Us longs not home yet.

  6. Hvað langar þig að gera í dag?

    What would you like to do today?

    Word by Word: What longs you to do today?

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the person in the dative (þágufallssýki).

    Mér langar í kaffi.
    Mig langar í kaffi.

    langa takes the accusative: mig, þig, hana. Mér langar is heard, but it is not standard Icelandic.

  • Using the nominative ég, as with most verbs.

    Ég langar að fara heim.
    Mig langar að fara heim.

    The person who wants is in the accusative, so ég becomes mig.

  • Changing the verb to match við.

    Okkur langum í ís.
    Okkur langar í ís.

    langa does not agree with the person. It is always langar.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

mig langarLevel 1Wanting (Mig Langar)

Learn This First

mig langar builds on object pronouns and að + infinitive.

Words in This Pattern

langalangarmigþighanaokkur