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.