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Fyrirgefðu, hvar á að skrá sig?

Fyrirgefðu, hvar á að skrá sig?
Excuse me, where do I register?
FromLesson 19inHardcore Icelandic

Breakdown of Fyrirgefðu, hvar á að skrá sig?

hvar
where
eiga að
should
skrá sig
to register
fyrirgefðu
excuse me

Questions & Answers about Fyrirgefðu, hvar á að skrá sig?

What does the word á mean here? I thought á was a preposition meaning on/at.
Here á is not the preposition. It’s the 3rd person singular of the verb eiga used as a modal: eiga að + infinitive ≈ should/ought to/is supposed to. So á að skrá means “is supposed to register/should register.”
Why is there no subject (no “I/you/we”) in hvar á að skrá sig?
It’s an impersonal (subjectless) construction meaning “Where should one/people/you (in general) register?” Icelandic often omits an explicit subject for generic statements and keeps the verb in 3rd person singular.
Can I say Hvar á maður að skrá sig instead? Does it mean the same thing?
Yes. maður is the generic “one/you/people.” Both Hvar á að skrá sig? and Hvar á maður að skrá sig? are natural and essentially equivalent.
If I’m asking for myself, how do I say it?

Use a normal subject and the matching object of the reflexive:

  • I: Hvar á ég að skrá mig?
  • We: Hvar eigum við að skrá okkur?
  • You (plural): Hvar eigið þið að skrá ykkur?
Why is it sig and not mig/þig?

sig is the 3rd-person reflexive pronoun and refers back to a 3rd-person (here: generic/impersonal) subject. With a real 1st/2nd person subject, the pronoun must agree:

  • ég … skrá mig
  • þú … skrá þig
  • við … skrá okkur
  • þið … skrá ykkur
  • (maður/þeir/þær/þau) … skrá sig
Is skrá sig a set phrase? What happens if I drop sig?
Yes, skrá sig means “to register/sign up (oneself).” Without the reflexive, skrá means “to register/record” something or someone else. So dropping sig changes the meaning.
Why hvar and not hvert?
  • hvar asks for a location (where at).
  • hvert asks for direction (to where). Registering is treated as an activity located somewhere, so hvar fits. If you want the destination, you could say: Hvert á ég að fara til að skrá mig?
Why does the verb come right after hvar?
Icelandic has V2 word order in main clauses, including wh-questions: the finite verb sits in second position. Hvar takes the first slot; á (the finite verb) takes the second: Hvar á …? The initial Fyrirgefðu is just an interjection and doesn’t affect the clause’s V2 order.
What is the að here—“to” or “that”?
It’s the infinitive marker “to” introducing skrá. So á að skrá = “is supposed to register.” It’s not the conjunction “that.”
How formal is Fyrirgefðu? Could I use something else?
  • Fyrirgefðu: informal/singular “Excuse me/Sorry” to one person.
  • Fyrirgefið: polite/plural form.
  • Afsakið: neutral/polite “Excuse me,” safe with strangers or groups. All work fine before a question; choose based on formality and audience.
How do I ask about possibility instead of obligation (e.g., “Where can I sign up?”)?

Several natural options:

  • Hvar get ég skráð mig? (can I; using geta)
  • Hvar má ég skrá mig? (am I allowed to)
  • Hvar er hægt að skrá sig? (where is it possible to)
Why is there a comma after Fyrirgefðu?
Interjections like Fyrirgefðu, Afsakið, etc., are set off with a comma before the main clause. It mirrors English punctuation in “Excuse me, …”
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