Hún vaknar seint um helgar.

she

Breakdown of Hún vaknar seint um helgar.

• helgi: the weekend
• seint: late
• vakna: to wake up

Questions & Answers about Hún vaknar seint um helgar.

What does each word mean here?

• Hún = she (3rd person singular feminine, nominative)
• vaknar = wakes up (3rd person singular present of the verb að vakna)
• seint = late (adverb)
• um = about/around; in time expressions, “during/on”
• helgar = weekends (accusative plural of the feminine noun helgi “weekend”) So the whole sentence is “She wakes up late on weekends.”

Why is it vaknar and not vakna?

Because it’s 3rd person singular present. The infinitive is að vakna (“to wake up”), but for “she/he/it” in the present you add -r: hann/hún/það vaknar. Some present forms:

• ég vakna
• þú vaknar
• hann/hún/það vaknar
• við vöknum
• þið vaknið
• þeir/þær/þau vakna

Is vakna transitive? What’s the verb to “wake someone (else) up”?

• að vakna = to wake up (intransitive: no object). Example: Hún vaknar seint.
• að vekja (einhvern) = to wake (someone) up (transitive). Example: Hún vekur mig snemma “She wakes me up early.”

Why seint and not sein?

• seint is an adverb: “late(ly)/late (in time).” You use it with verbs: Hún vaknar seint.
• sein(n/seint) is an adjective: “late/slow.” You use it with “to be” about someone: Ég er seinn (m.), hún er sein (f.) “I am late; she is late.” Comparatives:
• Adverb: seint → seinna “later” → seinast “latest”