Breakdown of Þú átt að hringja í ljósmóðurina ef þú ert búin að vera að æla lengi.
vera
to be
þú
you
að
to (infinitive marker)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
lengi
for a long time
hringja
to call (by phone)
eiga að
to be supposed to
ef
if
búinn
finished
æla
to vomit
ljósmóðirin
the midwife
Questions & Answers about Þú átt að hringja í ljósmóðurina ef þú ert búin að vera að æla lengi.
How does the grammar in ert búin að vera að æla work to mean 'have been vomiting'?
This sentence uses the exact present perfect continuous structure from this lesson. It combines vera búin að (the present perfect marker) with vera að (the continuous marker) and the infinitive æla (to vomit). Even though it literally looks like it says 'are finished to be to vomit', it is the standard Icelandic way to express that you have been doing something continuously up to now.
Why is it búin instead of the dictionary form búinn?
The participle búinn has to agree with the subject in gender and number. Since this sentence is about pregnancy and calling a midwife, it assumes the subject (þú) is female. Therefore, it uses the feminine singular form búin.
Why is the preposition í used after hringja?
In Icelandic, when you call someone on the phone, the set phrase is hringja í (literally 'to ring in'). The preposition í dictates that the person you are calling must take the accusative case.
Why does the word for 'the midwife' change from ljósmóðir to ljósmóðurina?
The word ljósmóðir is made of ljós (light) and móðir (mother). The noun móðir is an irregular word that changes to móður in the accusative, dative, and genitive cases. Because hringja í forces the accusative case, we use ljósmóður and attach the feminine accusative definite article -ina to the end.
Doesn't the verb eiga mean 'to own'? Why does it translate to 'have to' here?
On its own, eiga does mean 'to own' or 'to possess'. However, when it is followed by að and a verb in the infinitive form, the phrase eiga að means 'to be supposed to', 'ought to', or 'have to'. Here, þú átt að hringja simply means 'you are supposed to call'.
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