To express that someone "must be able to" or "needs to be able to" do something, you can stack a modal verb with geta (to be able to).
Modal + geta + supine
The formula is: Conjugated Modal + (að) + geta + Supine
The first modal verb dictates whether you need the particle að. However, geta always forces the main action verb into the supine form (the neuter past participle), rather than the infinitive.
| We need to be able to stop the cyberattack. | Við þurfum að geta stoppað netárásina. |
Which Modals Take "að"?
When stacking with geta:
- verða (must) and þurfa (need) require að.
- vilja (want) and munu (will) connect directly without að.
| The security system must be able to find the virus. | Öryggiskerfið verður að geta fundið vírusinn. |
| I want to be able to encrypt all the data. | Ég vil geta dulkóðað öll gögnin. |
| Will the hacker be able to hack the firewall? | Mun tölvuþrjóturinn geta hakkað eldvegginn? |
Other Auxiliaries
You will also encounter auxiliary phrases like vera búin(n) að (to be finished/done doing something) and fá að (to get to / be allowed to). Unlike geta, these phrases just take the standard infinitive of the main verb.
| We are done taking the backup. | Við erum búin að taka öryggisafritið. |
| May I get to test the new firewall? | Fæ ég að prófa nýja eldvegginn? |
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