Ertu til í að fara í göngutúr eftir kvöldmat?

Ertu is a very common contraction of ert þú.

• ert = are (2nd person singular of vera, to be)
• þú = you

So:

• Ertu ...? = Are you ...?

This is especially common in speech and everyday writing. You could think of it as similar to how English uses contractions naturally in conversation.

The full version would be:

• Ert þú til í að fara í göngutúr eftir kvöldmat?

but Ertu sounds more natural in ordinary speech.

Because this is a yes/no question in Icelandic.

In a statement, you would normally have:

• Þú ert til í að fara í göngutúr eftir kvöldmat.
• You are up for going for a walk after dinner.

To make it a yes/no question, Icelandic usually puts the finite verb first:

• Ertu til í að fara í göngutúr eftir kvöldmat?
• Are you up for going for a walk after dinner?

So the verb-first order works a lot like English Are you ...?

Til í is an idiomatic expression meaning:

• up for
• willing to
• in the mood for

So vera til í means to feel like doing something / to be willing to do something.

Examples:

• Ég er til í kaffi. = I feel like having coffee.
• Ertu til í bíó? = Are you up for the cinema / going to the movies?
• Við erum til í að hjálpa. = We’re willing to help.

This is a very useful everyday phrase in Icelandic.

Because after vera til í, Icelandic often uses að + infinitive when the thing you are willing to do is a verb action.

Here:

• að fara = to go

So:

• vera til í að fara = to be up for going / to be willing to go

You can compare:

• Ertu til í kaffi? = Are you up for coffee?
  no verb follows, just a noun

• Ertu til í að fara? = Are you up for going?
  a verb follows, so Icelandic uses að + infinitive

They belong to two different parts of the sentence.

1. til í

   • This is part of the fixed expression vera til í
   • It means to be up for / willing to

2. fara í göngutúr

   • Here í belongs with fara
   • This whole phrase means to go for a walk

So even though both are spelled í, they do different jobs:

• til í = idiomatic phrase
• í göngutúr = part of the expression for taking/going on a walk

It means to go for a walk.

Breakdown:

• fara = to go
• göngutúr = walk, stroll

So literally it looks something like go into/on a walk, but the natural English translation is just:

• go for a walk

This is a normal Icelandic expression. Similar phrases exist with other activities too, where Icelandic uses a structure that is not translated word-for-word into English.

Göngutúr is a compound noun.

It comes from:

• ganga = to walk
• túr = trip / tour / round

So göngutúr is literally something like a walking trip, but in natural English it means:

• walk
• stroll

Compounds are extremely common in Icelandic, so it is useful to get used to seeing long words made from smaller parts.

Because fara í göngutúr is simply the standard Icelandic expression.

Languages often package common activities differently:

• English: go for a walk
• Icelandic: fara í göngutúr

This is one of those phrases that is best learned as a whole chunk rather than translated piece by piece.

It means after dinner or after the evening meal.

Breakdown:

• eftir = after
• kvöldmat = dinner / evening meal in this sentence

So:

• eftir kvöldmat = after dinner

This tells you when the walk would happen.

Because the preposition eftir requires a particular case here, and that changes the form of the noun.

The dictionary form is:

• kvöldmatur = dinner / evening meal

But after eftir in this time expression, it appears as:

• kvöldmat

So this is a case form, not a different word.

For learners, the key practical point is:

• learn eftir kvöldmat as a common phrase meaning after dinner

Usually it refers to the evening meal, so dinner is often the best translation.

Depending on context and a speaker’s habits, English could sometimes also use:

• supper
• evening meal

But in most learner contexts, after dinner is the most natural translation.

Yes, a very literal word-for-word translation would sound strange in English. That is normal.

The sentence contains idiomatic chunks, especially:

• vera til í = to be up for / willing to
• fara í göngutúr = to go for a walk

So instead of translating each word separately, it is better to understand the sentence in phrases:

• Ertu = Are you
• til í að fara í göngutúr = up for going for a walk
• eftir kvöldmat = after dinner

That gives the natural English meaning.

It would be:

• Þú ert til í að fara í göngutúr eftir kvöldmat.

That means:

• You are up for going for a walk after dinner.

So the main difference is word order:

• Þú ert ... = statement
• Ertu ...? = question

A few natural answers are:

Yes:

• Já. = Yes.
• Já, ég er til í það. = Yes, I’m up for that.
• Já, endilega. = Yes, definitely / sure.

No:

• Nei. = No.
• Nei, ég nenni því ekki. = No, I can’t be bothered / I don’t feel like it.
• Nei, ekki í kvöld. = No, not tonight.

A very common short reply is:

• Já, ég er til í það.

Yes, it is very natural, everyday, and conversational.

It sounds like something you would say to:

• a friend
• a family member
• a partner
• someone you know fairly well

The expression vera til í is especially common in spoken, informal Icelandic.

A rough learner-friendly approximation is:

• GURN-gu-toor
• or GUNG-gu-toor, with rounded vowels

A few helpful points:

• ö does not sound like English o
• ú is a long oo-like sound, but rounded and Icelandic
• the word stress is on the first syllable: GÖNG-utúr

You do not need perfect pronunciation right away; recognizing the word as a common vocabulary item is the most important first step.

The most natural translation is:

• Are you up for going for a walk after dinner?

Other good translations are:

• Do you feel like going for a walk after dinner?
• Would you like to go for a walk after dinner?

The exact English version depends on tone, but Are you up for going for a walk after dinner? matches the Icelandic structure and feeling very well.