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Á miðvikudögum hittumst við í eldhúsinu hjá henni og eldum saman.

Á miðvikudögum hittumst við í eldhúsinu hjá henni og eldum saman.
On Wednesdays we meet in her kitchen and cook together.

Breakdown of Á miðvikudögum hittumst við í eldhúsinu hjá henni og eldum saman.

við
we
saman
together
elda
to cook
í
in
og
and
eldhúsið
the kitchen
hittast
to meet
hjá
at
henni
her
á miðvikudögum
on Wednesdays
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Questions & Answers about Á miðvikudögum hittumst við í eldhúsinu hjá henni og eldum saman.

Why does miðvikudagur become miðvikudögum here?

Because it’s in the dative plural. In time expressions like á miðvikudögum (on Wednesdays, meaning a regular/habitual schedule), Icelandic commonly uses á + dative plural.

  • Nominative sg.: miðvikudagur
  • Dative pl.: miðvikudögum (ending -um is a big hint)
Could I also say á miðvikudaginn? What’s the difference?

Yes, and the meaning changes slightly:

  • á miðvikudögum = on Wednesdays (habitual/repeated)
  • á miðvikudaginn = on Wednesday (a specific Wednesday; typically accusative singular with the definite ending -inn)
Why is the word order Á miðvikudögum hittumst við… instead of …við hittumst…?

This is Icelandic V2 word order in a main clause: the finite verb usually comes in the second position.

  • Á miðvikudögum (something other than the subject is placed first)
  • hittumst (verb must come second)
  • við (subject comes after the verb in this pattern)

You can also say Við hittumst á miðvikudögum…, which is a more “subject-first” order.

What does the -st in hittumst do?

The -st ending typically marks a middle/reflexive/reciprocal meaning. With að hittast, it usually means to meet (each other) rather than to meet (someone).

  • að hitta = to meet / run into (someone)
  • að hittast = to meet up / meet each other

So hittumst við naturally implies “we meet (each other).”

Is hittumst definitely present tense?

Form-wise, hittumst can look the same in present and past for some verbs with -st, so context matters. In this sentence, eldum is clearly present (past would be elduðum), so the whole sentence reads as present/habitual.

Why is it í eldhúsinu (with the ending -inu)?

Because í (when it means in/inside as a location) governs the dative, and eldhúsinu is dative singular definite of eldhús.

  • eldhús (a kitchen)
  • eldhúsi (in a kitchen / dative, indefinite)
  • eldhúsinu (in the kitchen / dative, definite)
What’s the difference between í eldhúsi and í eldhúsinu?

It’s mainly definite vs. indefinite:

  • í eldhúsi = in a kitchen (more general)
  • í eldhúsinu = in the kitchen (a specific/known kitchen)

In context, eldhúsinu often suggests “her kitchen” or “the usual kitchen we use,” even though possession is expressed elsewhere.

Why is it hjá henni and not something like hjá hún?

Because hjá is a preposition that takes the dative. The dative form of hún is henni.

  • Nominative: hún
  • Accusative: hana
  • Dative: henni
  • Genitive: hennar

So hjá henni = “at her place / with her.”

How is hjá henni different from í eldhúsinu hennar?

They overlap, but the nuance differs:

  • hjá henni focuses on being at her place/with her (location/social sense)
  • í eldhúsinu hennar explicitly marks her kitchen using the genitive (hennar)

In many everyday contexts, í eldhúsinu hjá henni sounds natural and idiomatic for “in her kitchen (at her place).”

What form is eldum? How do I know it’s “we” doing it?

eldum is 1st person plural present of að elda (to cook). The -um ending is a common marker for we in the present tense.

  • ég elda
  • þú eldar
  • við eldum

(And as a contrast: past we cooked = við elduðum.)

Where can saman go in the sentence?

saman (together) is fairly flexible. Common placements include:

  • …og eldum saman. (very common)
  • …og við eldum saman. (if you repeat the subject for emphasis)
  • …og eldum saman í eldhúsinu… (if you want it earlier for rhythm)

Putting saman at the end is a very natural default.