Fyrirgefðu, má ég sitja hér?

Excuse me, may I sit here?

Breakdown of Fyrirgefðu, má ég sitja hér?

• ég: I
• hér: here
• mega: to be allowed
• sitja: to sit
• fyrirgefðu: excuse me

Questions & Answers about Fyrirgefðu, má ég sitja hér?

What does Fyrirgefðu mean, and when do I use it?

• It’s the 2nd-person singular imperative of fyrirgefa “to forgive,” used idiomatically as “Excuse me” or “Sorry.”
• To be more formal or when addressing more than one person, use Fyrirgefið or the very common Afsakið.
• With strangers, Afsakið is a safe polite choice; Fyrirgefðu is fine and friendly to one person.
• You normally just say Fyrirgefðu, not Fyrirgefðu mig.

Why má ég and not get ég?

• má (að mega) = “may, be allowed to” (permission): Má ég sitja hér? = “May I sit here?”
• get (að geta) = “can, be able to/possible” (ability/feasibility): Get ég setið hér? tends to mean “Am I able to sit here (e.g., is it feasible)?”—not the usual way to ask permission.
• A very polite request sometimes uses conditional/permission together: Gæti ég fengið að setjast hér? (“Could I possibly sit down here?”).

Why is the verb first in Má ég sitja hér?

• Icelandic main clauses follow a “verb-second” pattern. In yes/no questions, the finite verb comes first.
• Statement: Ég má sitja hér. Question: Má ég sitja hér?
• Fyrirgefðu is an interjection; after the comma, the clause starts with the verb.

Why sitja and not setjast?

• sitja = “to sit” (being seated; a state).
• setjast = “to sit down, take a seat” (the action of sitting down).
• Both work in a request:
  • Má ég sitja hér? “May I (be seated) here?” (neutral, common).
  • Má ég setjast hér? “May I sit down here (now)?” (focus on the action of taking the seat).

Why is there no að before sitja?

• After modal verbs like mega, geta, vilja, þurfa, eiga, kunna, Icelandic uses a bare infinitive. So it’s Má ég sitja, not Má ég að sitja.

How do you pronounce the sentence?

• Rough guide: Fyrirgefðu ~ “FIR-irr-gev-thu” (ð like the th in “this”), stress on the first syllable.
• Má ég ~ “mow yeh(g)” (á like “ow” in “now”; ég often sounds like “yeh” or “yehg”).
• sitja ~ “SIT-ya” (j = y).
• hér ~ “hyair” (é like “ye” in “yes”; h before front vowels is slightly breathy).
• Icelandic words are generally stressed on the first syllable.

Can I drop ég?

• No. Icelandic is not a “pro-drop” language. You normally must include the subject pronoun.
• If you mean “may one…?” you can say Má maður sitja hér? (generic “one”).

What’s the formal/plural way to start?

• Fyrirgefið, má ég sitja hér? (formal/plural “excuse me”).
• Afsakið, má ég sitja hér? is also very common and polite to strangers.
• The rest of the sentence stays with ég because you’re asking on your own behalf.

Is hér the only word for “here”?

• hér = “here” (neutral/standard; common in writing and speech).
• hérna = “here” (colloquial; very common in everyday speech): Má ég sitja hérna?
• Related contrasts:
  • þarna = “there” (visible/nearby).
  • hingað = “(to) here” with motion; hér has no motion.

How do I say “You may sit here”?

• To one person: Þú mátt sitja hér.
• To more than one: Þið megið sitja hér.
• Negative: Þú mátt ekki sitja hér. / Þið megið ekki sitja hér.

What are other natural ways to ask the same thing?

• Er þetta sæti laust? “Is this seat free?”
• Er í lagi að ég setjist hér? “Is it okay if I sit down here?”
• Má ég fá að setjast hér? “May I get to sit down here?”
• Softer/politer: Gæti ég fengið að setjast hér?

Why is there a comma after Fyrirgefðu?

• Fyrirgefðu is an interjection. A comma separates it from the main clause. In speech, you make a small pause there.

Any case grammar to watch here?

• Ég is nominative (subject of má).
• sitja here takes no object.
• hér is an adverb, so there’s no case ending on it.
• If you bring in a noun like sæti (seat, neuter): Er þetta sæti laust? (predicate adjective agrees in neuter: laust).

How do I make the question negative?

• Má ég ekki sitja hér? “Am I not allowed to sit here?”
• With the “sit down” verb: Má ég ekki setjast hér?

Can I use Megi instead of Má?

• Megi ég sitja hér? uses the present subjunctive. It sounds more formal, old-fashioned, or wish-like. In everyday speech, Má ég…? is standard.

What are the key forms of the verbs used here?

• mega (may, be allowed): ég má, þú mátt, hann/hún/það má, við megum, þið megið, þeir/þær/þau mega.
• sitja (to sit): present ég sit, þú situr, hann situr, við sitjum, þið sitjið, þeir sitja; past sat; past participle setið.
• fyrirgefa (to forgive): imperative 2sg fyrirgefðu; formal/plural fyrirgefið.