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Í kvöld getum við annaðhvort hlustað á hljóðbók eða lesið bók.

Í kvöld getum við annaðhvort hlustað á hljóðbók eða lesið bók.
Tonight we can either listen to an audiobook or read a book.
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Questions & Answers about Í kvöld getum við annaðhvort hlustað á hljóðbók eða lesið bók.

Why does the sentence start with Í kvöld, and why is the verb getum right after it?

This is the common Icelandic V2 (verb-second) pattern in main clauses: whichever element you put first (often a time phrase) is followed by the finite verb.

  • Í kvöld = an adverbial time phrase placed in the first position.
  • getum is the finite (conjugated) verb, so it comes second.
  • The subject við then comes after the verb.

So the structure is essentially:
[Time] + [finite verb] + [subject] + …

What exactly is getum—what verb is it and what form?

getum is the 1st person plural, present tense form of the verb geta (to be able to / can).

  • ég get = I can
  • þú getur = you can
  • við getum = we can
  • þið getið = you (pl.) can
  • þeir/þær/þau geta = they can
Why do we see hlustað and lesið instead of something like hlusta and lesa?

After many modal verbs (including geta, vilja, kunna, mega, eiga), Icelandic commonly uses the sagnbót form (often identical to the neuter singular past participle):

  • hlusta → hlustað
  • lesa → lesið

So getum … hlustað / lesið is a normal “modal + main verb” pattern in Icelandic.

Why isn’t there an að (like “to”) after getum?

With Icelandic modal verbs, you typically do not use að before the following verb.

  • Correct: Við getum lesið.
  • Not typical: Við getum að lesa.

So getum links directly to the following verb form.

How does annaðhvort … eða work? Where do I put it?

annaðhvort … eða is the Icelandic pairing for either … or.

  • annaðhvort usually comes before the first option
  • eða introduces the second option

In this sentence, the two options are the verb phrases:

  • hlustað á hljóðbók
  • lesið bók
Why is it hlustað á and not just hlustað?

In Icelandic, hlusta normally takes the preposition á for what you listen to:

  • hlusta á tónlist = listen to music
  • hlusta á hljóðbók = listen to an audiobook

Without á, hlusta can more easily sound like “listen (pay attention)” in a general sense, not “listen to X” specifically.

What case are hljóðbók and bók in here?

Both are direct objects, so they are in the accusative:

  • hlusta á
    • accusative (object of the preposition á)
  • lesa
    • accusative (direct object of the verb)

In this particular sentence, the accusative forms happen to look the same as the nominative:

  • hljóðbók (fem. sg.) → accusative hljóðbók (same form)
  • bók (fem. sg.) → accusative bók (same form)

If they were definite, you’d see the difference:

  • hlusta á hljóðbókina
  • lesa bókina
Why is there no word for a/the before hljóðbók or bók?

Icelandic has:

  • no separate word for “the” (definiteness is usually a suffix: bók → bókin)
  • and it often omits an explicit equivalent of “a” (indefiniteness is usually just the bare noun)

So hljóðbók and bók are naturally interpreted as an audiobook / a book from context unless made definite.

Is Í kvöld using the preposition í in a special way?

Yes—Í kvöld is a very common fixed time expression meaning tonight. In time phrases, Icelandic often uses a preposition where English might not. You’ll see similar patterns like:

  • í dag = today
  • í gær = yesterday

You can largely learn Í kvöld as a set phrase.

Can I drop við since the verb already shows the person (like in some languages)?

Usually, no. Icelandic is generally not a pro-drop language in ordinary statements, so the subject pronoun is typically included:

  • Normal: Í kvöld getum við …
  • Dropping við would usually sound incomplete unless the context is very specific (e.g., notes, headlines, or certain informal ellipses).