Questions & Answers about Geturðu útskýrt þetta nánar?
Why is the pronoun attached in "Geturðu"? Is "Getur þú" also correct?
Yes. "Geturðu" is the cliticized colloquial form of "getur þú" (verb + you-sg). Both are correct; "Geturðu" is what you’ll hear most in speech and see often in writing. Icelandic frequently cliticizes 2nd person singular þú after a verb:
- ert þú → ertu
- vilt þú → viltu
- getur þú → geturðu This is normal and not informal in a negative way—just natural.
How do I pronounce the tricky letters here (ð, þ, ú, ý, á), and the whole sentence?
- ð (in "Geturðu") sounds like English "th" in this.
- þ (in "þetta") sounds like "th" in thing.
- ú is like long "oo" in goose.
- ý sounds like long "ee" (lengthened i-sound).
- á is like the diphthong "ow" in now. A rough, friendly approximation: GET-ur-thu OOT-skeer-t THET-ta NOW-nar. Stress the first syllable of each word.
Why is it "útskýrt" and not the infinitive "útskýra"?
With the verb geta (can/be able), Icelandic uses the verb’s supine (which looks like the neuter past participle):
- Ég get komið (I can come)
- Þú getur séð (you can see)
- Geturðu útskýrt (can you explain) Other modals, like vilja (want) or (may), take the infinitive: