Ég ætti að sofa núna.

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Breakdown of Ég ætti að sofa núna.

• núna: now
• sofa: to sleep
• eiga að: should

Questions & Answers about Ég ætti að sofa núna.

What does ætti mean here?

In this sentence, ætti gives the idea of should or ought to.

So ég ætti að sofa means something like I should sleep or I ought to sleep.

It is not a simple present-tense form. It is a special form used very often in Icelandic to express:

• advice
• mild obligation
• what would be the sensible thing to do

Is ætti related to the verb eiga?

Yes. Ætti is a form of eiga.

That can be surprising, because eiga often means to own or to have. But Icelandic also uses this verb in very common idiomatic patterns:

• eiga að + infinitive = to be supposed to / to have to
• ætti að + infinitive = should / ought to

So even though the basic verb has another meaning, this pattern is extremely normal and important to learn as a chunk.

What is the difference between á að and ætti að?