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Geturðu lánað mér penna?

Geturðu lánað mér penna?
Can you lend me a pen?

Breakdown of Geturðu lánað mér penna?

þú
you
penni
the pen
geta
to be able
mér
me
lána
to lend
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Questions & Answers about Geturðu lánað mér penna?

Why is it written as Geturðu and not Getur þú?

Icelandic commonly cliticizes the subject pronoun þú after a verb into -ðu and attaches it to the verb. So Getur þú becomes the single word Geturðu. Both are correct; the combined form is what you’ll hear and see most in everyday language.

  • Other common pairs: Ert þú → Ertu, Veist þú → Veistu, Hefur þú → Hefurðu, Gerir þú → Gerirðu.
How do I pronounce the special letter ð in Geturðu?
The letter ð (eth) is a soft, voiced th-sound, like the th in English this. So Geturðu is roughly GET-ur-thu. For contrast, þ (thorn) is the hard, voiceless th-sound in thing.
Why is it lánað and not the dictionary form lána?

With the verb geta (can), Icelandic typically uses the verb’s supine (often identical to the neuter past participle) rather than the infinitive. That’s why you get:

  • Geturðu lánað… (Can you lend…)
  • Compare: Ég hef lánað (I have lent) — same supine form after hafa (have). You do not insert að here; not Geturðu að lána….
Where is the English “to” (as in “to lend”)? Why isn’t there að?
After geta, Icelandic does not use að before the next verb. The construction is simply geta + supine: Get ég fengið…?, Getum við farið…?, Geturðu lánað…?
Why is it mér and not mig?

Mér is the dative form of ég (I), and lána (to lend) takes the recipient in the dative and the thing lent in the accusative:

  • Pattern: lána e-m e-ð = lend someone (dative) something (accusative).
  • So: mér (to me, dative), not mig (me, accusative).
Why is it penna and not penni?

Penna is the accusative singular of the noun penni (a pen). Since the pen is the direct object of lánað (the thing being lent), it appears in the accusative:

  • Nominative: penni (used for subjects)
  • Accusative: penna (used for direct objects like here)
How would I say “Can you lend me the pen?” (definite)

Use the definite form of the noun in the accusative:

  • Geturðu lánað mér pennann? Here pennann is the definite accusative of penni (the pen).
How do I say “your pen”?

Two natural options:

  • Possessive before the noun (no definite ending on the noun): Geturðu lánað mér þinn penna?
  • Possessive after the noun (the noun takes the definite ending): Geturðu lánað mér pennann þinn? Both are correct; the postposed possessive is very common in speech.
Is the word order fixed? Could I say Geturðu lánað penna mér?

Both orders are possible in double-object constructions:

  • More common: lánað mér penna (pronoun first)
  • Also grammatical: lánað penna mér So Geturðu lánað mér penna? is the default, but Geturðu lánað penna mér? is acceptable.
How do I make it more polite, like “Could you please lend me a pen?”

Use the conditional of geta and optionally add a politeness word:

  • Gætirðu lánað mér penna?
  • Gætirðu vinsamlegast lánað mér penna? You can also ask indirectly:
  • Má ég fá lánaðan penna? (May I have a pen on loan?)
How do I ask if I can borrow (rather than you lend)?

Use fá lánað (to get something on loan):

  • Get ég fengið lánaðan penna?
  • Or: Má ég fá lánaðan penna? Here lánaðan is the masculine accusative singular of the participle lánaður used adjectivally with penna.
What if I’m speaking to more than one person?

Switch to the plural second person:

  • Getið þið lánað mér penna? (Can you [all] lend me a pen?) Note: The old formal þér for a single person is rare/old-fashioned in modern Icelandic; þú is standard even with strangers.
How do I ask for more than one pen or another pen?
  • Some pens: Geturðu lánað mér einhverja penna?
  • Two pens: Geturðu lánað mér tvo penna? (accusative plural)
  • Another pen: Geturðu lánað mér annan penna? (accusative of annar = another)
Any quick pronunciation tips for the whole sentence?

Approximate guide:

  • Geturðu: GET-ur-thu (soft th as in “this”)
  • lánað: LAU-na-th (AU like in “cow”; final ð is soft th)
  • mér: MYER (É sounds like YE)
  • penna: PEN-na (double N pronounced clearly) Say it smoothly as one chunk: GET-ur-thu LAU-na-th MYER PEN-na?
How would someone naturally answer this?

Common replies:

  • Yes: Já, sjálfsagt! / Já, auðvitað! / Já, hérna. (here you go)
  • No: Nei, því miður. / Ég er ekki með penna. (I don’t have a pen on me)