Við höfum beðið lengi í dag.

we

Breakdown of Við höfum beðið lengi í dag.

• hafa: to have
• í dag: today
• bíða: to wait

Questions & Answers about Við höfum beðið lengi í dag.

What does each word in Við höfum beðið lengi í dag mean?

• Við = we
• höfum = have (the 1st person plural present form of hafa, to have)
• beðið = the form of bíða (to wait) used after hafa
• lengi = for a long time / long
• í dag = today

So the sentence is literally something like We have waited long today, which in natural English is We have waited a long time today or We have been waiting a long time today.

Why is it höfum beðið?

This is the Icelandic perfect tense, formed with:

• hafa in the present tense
• plus the main verb in the supine form

So:

• við höfum = we have
• beðið = waited

That is the normal way to say have waited / have been waiting in Icelandic.

Why can this sentence mean both we have waited and we have been waiting?