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Ég er þreyttur, en ég kem allavega í viðtalið á morgun.

Ég er þreyttur, en ég kem allavega í viðtalið á morgun.
I am tired, but I’ll come to the interview tomorrow anyway.

Breakdown of Ég er þreyttur, en ég kem allavega í viðtalið á morgun.

ég
I
vera
to be
í
to
á morgun
tomorrow
koma
to come
en
but
þreyttur
tired
allavega
anyway
viðtalið
the interview
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Questions & Answers about Ég er þreyttur, en ég kem allavega í viðtalið á morgun.

Why does þreyttur end in -ur? Would it change for a woman or for plural?

Yes—þreyttur is the masculine singular form of the adjective þreyttur/þreytt/þreytt (tired). It agrees with the subject in gender and number (and also case when relevant).

  • Ég er þreyttur (male speaker)
  • Ég er þreytt (female speaker)
  • Við erum þreytt (mixed/unspecified plural is often þreytt, but you can also see agreement like þreyttir for an all-male group, þreyttar for all-female, depending on style and context)
Why is it Ég er þreyttur (with er)—is that just the verb to be?

Exactly. vera = to be. In the present tense:

  • ég er = I am
    So Ég er þreyttur is the standard “be + adjective” pattern, like in English.
What is kem? Why not koma?

koma is the infinitive (to come). kem is the 1st person singular present tense form:

  • ég kem = I come / I’m coming / I will come (context decides) Other present forms include:
  • þú kemur
  • hann/hún/það kemur
  • við komum
  • þið komið
  • þeir/þær/þau koma
Does ég kem mean “I come” or “I will come”? Why no explicit future tense?

Icelandic usually uses the present tense for near/clear future situations, especially with time expressions like á morgun (tomorrow). So ég kem á morgun naturally means I’m coming / I’ll come tomorrow without needing a special future form.

Why is viðtalið written with -ið at the end?

That -ið is the definite article suffix (the -the).

  • viðtal = interview (indefinite: an interview)
  • viðtalið = the interview
    Icelandic usually attaches the to the end of the noun rather than using a separate word.
Why is it í viðtalið (with í)? What case is viðtalið in here?

In í viðtalið, the noun is accusative. With í, Icelandic often uses:

  • accusative for movement toward/into (direction)
  • dative for location (being in a place)

Also, koma í viðtal is a very common fixed expression meaning “to come for an interview / show up to an interview,” and it typically takes í + accusative.

What does allavega do in the sentence, and where can it go?

allavega means something like anyway / at least / in any case (depending on context). Placement is flexible, but it usually sits near the verb phrase it modifies:

  • …en ég kem allavega í viðtalið á morgun.
  • …en ég kem í viðtalið á morgun allavega. (also possible, a bit different emphasis) You’ll also hear allavega used as a discourse filler meaning anyway when changing topic.
Why is en used here? Is it the same as English but?

Yes. en is the normal coordinating conjunction for but:

  • Ég er þreyttur, en … = I’m tired, but …
Is it necessary to repeat ég after en? Could it be Ég er þreyttur, en kem …?

You can absolutely omit the second ég:

  • Ég er þreyttur, en kem allavega í viðtalið á morgun. Both are grammatical. Repeating ég can feel slightly more explicit or emphatic; omitting it can sound a bit more streamlined.
Why is there a comma before en?

A comma before en is common when it joins two clauses, especially when the subject is stated again:

  • Ég er þreyttur, en ég kem … If you drop the repeated subject, punctuation can be a bit more stylistic, but the comma is still very common:
  • Ég er þreyttur, en kem …
How do you pronounce the tricky letters in Ég er þreyttur, en ég kem allavega í viðtalið á morgun?

A few key points:

  • þ (thorn) is like English th in think: þreyttur
  • ð (eth) is like th in this (often softer, and sometimes barely heard): viðtalið
  • ll in allavega is not an English l sound; in many accents it’s a tl-like sound (often described as a voiceless lateral affricate)
  • g in Ég is usually a softer sound than English hard g (and the vowel é is like “yeh/eh” with a glide)

(Exact pronunciation varies by region, but these points will get you close.)

What is the role of á morgun? Could it go elsewhere in the sentence?

á morgun is a time adverbial meaning tomorrow. It often goes toward the end, but you can move it for emphasis:

  • …ég kem … á morgun. (neutral/common)
  • Á morgun kem ég … (more emphasis on tomorrow, a bit more formal/literary feel)