Questions & Answers about Ég læt þig vita þegar ég kem heim.
What does the structure læt … vita mean, and why is vita in the infinitive?
- láta is a causative verb: láta + [someone in the accusative] + [verb in the infinitive] = “make/let someone do something.”
- So Ég læt þig vita literally means “I cause you to know,” idiomatically “I’ll let you know.”
- The second verb (vita) stays in the bare infinitive (no að) after láta.
- Other examples: Ég læt hann bíða (I’ll make him wait), Hún lét þau koma (She let them come).
Why is it þig and not þér?
- þig is the accusative of þú and is used because láta takes the affected person in the accusative in this construction.
- Forms of þú: nominative þú, accusative þig, dative þér, genitive þín.
- So you say Ég læt þig vita, not “Ég læt þér vita.”
What form is læt and how does láta conjugate?