Hún býður okkur í mat á morgun.

She invites us for dinner tomorrow.

Breakdown of Hún býður okkur í mat á morgun.

• hún: she
• í: to
• á morgun: tomorrow
• okkur: us

Questions & Answers about Hún býður okkur í mat á morgun.

What exactly does the verb bjóða mean here, and what patterns does it take?

Here bjóða means “to invite.” The core patterns are:

• bjóða + DAT (person) + í + ACC (event/place) = invite someone to something. Example pattern: bjóða okkur í mat (invite us for a meal).
• bjóða + DAT (person) + ACC (thing) = offer someone something. Example: Hún býður okkur kaffi (She offers us coffee).
• bjóða upp á + ACC = offer/serve, make available. Example: Þeir bjóða upp á súpu (They offer/serve soup).

Why is okkur used, and what case is it?

Okkur is the dative form of “we/us.” The verb bjóða takes the person being invited in the dative. Other common dative pronouns:

• mér (me), þér (you sg.), honum/henni/því (him/her/it),
• okkur (us), ykkur (you pl.), þeim (them).

What does í mat mean, literally and idiomatically, and why í?

Literally “into/for meal,” idiomatically “for a meal” (i.e., for dinner/lunch, context decides). The preposition í often takes the accusative to show movement/goal, and this is a fixed invitation phrase: bjóða e-m í mat. The noun matur (meal/food) is in the form mat here (its accusative).