Breakdown of Mig langar að heiðra heiðursgestinn í kvöld.
ég
I
langa
to want
að
to (infinitive marker)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
kvöldið
the evening
heiðursgesturinn
the guest of honor
heiðra
to honor
Questions & Answers about Mig langar að heiðra heiðursgestinn í kvöld.
Since this lesson is about using the subjunctive for wishes, why is the verb langar in the normal indicative mood here?
The present subjunctive is used for standalone wishes, exhortations, or blessings, like saying "May he live!" But here, you are simply stating a factual feeling about what you desire to do. The verb langa describes your current state of mind as a fact, so it stays in the indicative mood.
Why does this sentence start with Mig instead of Ég?
The verb langa (to want or to long for) is an impersonal verb. The person experiencing the desire is put in the accusative case, so ég becomes mig. Because the verb is impersonal, it doesn't change to match the speaker and always stays in the third-person singular form, which is langar.
How exactly is the word heiðursgestinn built?
It is a compound noun made from heiður (honor) and gestur (guest). The -s in the middle is the genitive case ending that links the two words together, literally meaning "guest of honor." Finally, the -inn at the very end is the attached definite article, making it "the guest of honor."
Why is heiðursgestinn in the accusative case instead of the nominative heiðursgesturinn?
It acts as the direct object of the infinitive verb að heiðra (to honor). Because the action of honoring is being done to the guest, the masculine noun takes the accusative form, changing gesturinn to gestinn.
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