Questions & Answers about Við þökkum fyrirfram fyrir hjálpina.
What is the verb form in við þökkum, and why does it have ö?
The verb is þakka (to thank). In the present tense, 1st person plural is við þökkum. The a → ö change is a regular u-umlaut triggered historically by the ending -um.
- ég þakka
- þú þakkar
- hann/hún/það þakkar
- við þökkum
- þið þakkið
- þeir/þær/þau þakka
Why do we have both fyrirfram and fyrir? Aren’t they the same?
They’re different:
- fyrirfram is an adverb meaning “in advance.”
- fyrir is a preposition meaning “for” (in this sense). So the sentence says “we thank in advance for the help.” The two words just happen to share the element fyrir.
Is it redundant to say both fyrirfram and fyrir hjálpina?
No. It’s the normal way to say “Thank you in advance for the help.” If you don’t want the “in advance” nuance, drop fyrirfram. You can also use the bare object (no preposition): Við þökkum fyrirfram hjálpina, but the version with fyrir is very common and a bit more formulaic/polite.
Why is it hjálpina with the ending -ina?