Ég ætla að láta gera ný gleraugu eftir sjónprófið.

I am going to have new glasses made after the eye test.

Breakdown of Ég ætla að láta gera ný gleraugu eftir sjónprófið.

• ég: I
• nýr: new
• eftir: after
• ætla: to be going to

Questions & Answers about Ég ætla að láta gera ný gleraugu eftir sjónprófið.

What does ég ætla að mean here?

It means I intend to or I’m going to.

In Icelandic, ætla að + infinitive is a very common way to talk about a plan or intention:

• Ég ætla að fara = I’m going to go
• Ég ætla að kaupa þetta = I’m going to buy this

So:

• Ég ætla að láta gera... = I’m going to have ... made

It is not a future tense in the same way as English will, but in many situations it works like be going to.

What does láta gera mean?

This is a causative structure. It means to have something done or to get something done by someone else.

So:

• láta gera ný gleraugu = have new glasses made

The speaker is not making the glasses personally. The idea is that someone else, such as an optician or lab, will make them.

A useful comparison:

• Ég geri gleraugu = I make glasses
• Ég læt gera gleraugu = I have glasses made

Why is there að before láta, but no að before gera?