Breakdown of Já, við getum hittst á morgun.
Questions & Answers about Já, við getum hittst á morgun.
Why does it start with Já, and why is there a comma?
What does við mean and how is it used?
What is getum exactly?
getum is the present-tense, 1st person plural form of the verb geta (to be able to / can).
Conjugation (present):
- ég get
- þú getur
- hann/hún/það getur
- við getum
- þið getið
- þeir/þær/þau geta
So við getum = we can / we’re able to.
Is við getum more like English can or may?
Why is the verb form after getum not conjugated?
After modal verbs like geta, Icelandic typically uses an infinitive (base form) for the main verb, similar to English can meet (not can meets).
So the “full” form is:
- við getum hittast á morgun = we can meet tomorrow
Why does the sentence have hittst instead of hittast?
The dictionary/standard infinitive is hittast (to meet [each other]). In everyday speech (and often in informal writing), the -a- in -ast can get dropped, so hittast becomes hittst.
So:
- more standard: við getum hittast á morgun
- common casual form: við getum hittst á morgun
They mean the same thing.
What does hittast mean grammatically—why does it look “reflexive”?
hittast is a “middle/reflexive-style” verb meaning meet (each other). It’s not “I meet myself”; it’s used for mutual action.
Compare:
- hitta = to meet someone (one-directional, takes an object)
- Ég hitti hann á morgun. = I’m meeting him tomorrow.
- hittast = to meet (each other) (mutual, no direct object needed)
- Við hittumst á morgun. = We’ll meet tomorrow / We’re meeting tomorrow.
Could you also say Við hittumst á morgun instead of using getum?
Yes. Við hittumst á morgun is very common and often sounds more definite: We’ll meet tomorrow / We’re meeting tomorrow.
Við getum hittst á morgun adds the idea of possibility/availability: We can meet tomorrow (if that works).
Why is it á morgun and not something like í morgun?
á morgun means tomorrow (the day tomorrow).
í morgun means tomorrow morning (literally “in (the) morning”), i.e. a specific time-of-day meaning.
So:
- á morgun = tomorrow (anytime)
- í morgun = tomorrow morning
Does á normally mean on like English? Why use it for time?
How would I turn this into a question, like “Can we meet tomorrow?”
Invert the verb and subject:
- Statement: Við getum hittst á morgun.
- Question: Getum við hittst á morgun?
You can still keep Já out of it, since that’s already an answer word.
Is there any difference between já and jú here?
Já is the normal yes to an affirmative question.
Jú is used to contradict a negative statement/question, like English Yes (actually), we do:
- Getið þið ekki hittst á morgun? = Can’t you meet tomorrow?
- Jú, við getum hittst á morgun. = Yes, we can (despite that negative assumption).
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