Það er mögulegt að við hittumst fyrr á morgun ef lestin kemur á réttum tíma.

Questions & Answers about Það er mögulegt að við hittumst fyrr á morgun ef lestin kemur á réttum tíma.

Why does the sentence start with Það er?

In this sentence, það is a dummy subject, like it in English it is possible. It does not refer to a specific thing. Icelandic often uses það er + adjective to make statements like:

  • Það er mögulegt = it is possible
  • Það er mikilvægt = it is important
  • Það er skrýtið = it is strange

So here Það er mögulegt að... means It is possible that...

Why is it mögulegt and not mögulegur or möguleg?

Mögulegt is the neuter singular form of the adjective mögulegur.

That happens because it is used with the impersonal expression það er .... In this kind of structure, Icelandic normally uses the neuter singular adjective form:

  • Það er gott = it is good
  • Það er erfitt = it is difficult
  • Það er mögulegt = it is possible

So the -t ending is not random; it is the expected agreement form here.

What is doing in að við hittumst...?

Here introduces a subordinate clause, like English that in it is possible that we meet earlier tomorrow.

So:

  • Það er mögulegt = it is possible
  • að við hittumst fyrr á morgun = that we meet earlier tomorrow

In English, that is often optional, but in Icelandic is very commonly used in this structure.

Does við mean we here, or could it mean with?

Here við means we.

That can confuse learners, because við can also be a preposition meaning things like with, by, or against, depending on context.

In this sentence, it is clearly the pronoun we because it is followed by a verb form that matches a plural subject:

So this is not the preposition here.

Why is hittumst one word, and what does the -st ending mean?

Hittumst comes from the verb hitta = to meet or to find, but the -st form often gives it a middle/reflexive/reciprocal meaning.

So:

  • við hittum can mean we meet something/someone
  • við hittumst usually means we meet each other or simply we meet

In this sentence, við hittumst means we meet in the sense of we get together / see each other.

The -st ending is very common in Icelandic and can have several uses, but here the most natural idea is reciprocal: the two or more people are meeting one another.

Why is hittumst in the present tense if the meeting is in the future?

Because Icelandic, like English in some contexts, often uses the present tense for future events when the time is already clear.

Here the future meaning is shown by á morgun = tomorrow.

So Icelandic naturally says:

  • við hittumst á morgun = we are meeting tomorrow / we meet tomorrow

This is completely normal. You do not need a special future tense here.

What exactly does fyrr á morgun mean?

Fyrr means earlier or sooner.
Á morgun means tomorrow.

So fyrr á morgun means earlier tomorrow or sooner tomorrow, depending on context.

The comparative fyrr suggests some comparison, even if it is only implied. For example, the idea may be:

  • earlier than expected
  • earlier than originally planned
  • earlier than another possible time tomorrow

So it is not just tomorrow, but at an earlier time tomorrow.

Why is it á morgun? Why use the preposition á for tomorrow?

Because á morgun is a fixed Icelandic time expression meaning tomorrow.

Many time expressions in Icelandic use prepositions in ways that do not match English exactly, so it is best to learn them as complete phrases:

  • í dag = today
  • á morgun = tomorrow
  • í gær = yesterday

So here á is simply part of the normal expression.

Why is the word order ef lestin kemur and not something like ef kemur lestin?

Because ef introduces a subordinate clause, and subordinate clauses in Icelandic usually do not follow the main-clause verb-second pattern.

In a main clause, Icelandic often puts the finite verb in second position. But after conjunctions like and ef, the usual order is:

  • conjunction + subject + verb

So:

  • ef lestin kemur á réttum tíma = if the train comes on time

That is the normal subordinate-clause order.

Why is it lestin instead of just lest?

Lestin means the train. The ending -in is the definite article attached to the noun.

So:

  • lest = train
  • lestin = the train

Icelandic usually adds the to the end of the noun rather than using a separate word.

Here lestin is the subject of the clause ef lestin kemur...

Why is it á réttum tíma? Why does réttum end in -um?

Because the preposition á here takes the dative in this expression, and both the adjective and noun have to match that case.

Base forms:

  • réttur = right, correct
  • tími = time

But after á in the phrase á réttum tíma = on time, they appear in the dative singular:

  • réttum
  • tíma

So the whole phrase literally looks like at/on the right time, but the natural meaning is on time.

This is a very useful expression to memorize as a chunk:

  • koma á réttum tíma = to arrive on time
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