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Questions & Answers about Ég ætla að hitta vin í dag.
Why is there að before hitta?
In Icelandic, when one verb (e.g. ætla) is followed by another verb, the second verb appears in the infinitive and requires the infinitive marker að – essentially to in English.
What does Ég ætla mean and how is it used to talk about the future?
Ég ætla literally means I intend, but it’s used like I’m going to in English for near-future plans.
Why is vin not vinurinn or accompanied by an article?
You're meeting any friend, not one known in advance. Icelandic shows indefiniteness by using the bare noun. The basic form of vinur in the accusative singular (direct object) drops the -ur and becomes vin.
What case is vin, and how do you tell?
It’s the accusative singular of vinur. As the direct object of hitta, vinur loses its -ur ending and becomes vin.
What does í dag mean, and why is it two words?
í dag means today. It’s a fixed adverbial phrase: í (in) + dagur in the accusative (dag).
Could I use the definite form vininn instead of vin, and how would the meaning change?
Yes – Ég ætla að hitta vininn í dag means I’m going to meet the friend today, referring to a specific friend. Here vininn is the definite accusative.
Must I include the pronoun ég, or can it be dropped?
Icelandic verbs show person and number in their endings, so you can omit the subject pronoun in casual speech: (Ég) ætla að hitta vin í dag. However, including ég is common in neutral and written styles.
Could I also say Ég mun hitta vin í dag instead of using ætla?
Yes. mun expresses future like English will: Ég mun hitta vin í dag = I will meet a friend today. It’s slightly more formal or literary than ætla.