Breakdown of Vilt þú miðjusætið eða gangsætið?
þú
you
vilja
to want (to will, be willing)
eða
or
gangsætið
the aisle seat
miðjusætið
the middle seat
Questions & Answers about Vilt þú miðjusætið eða gangsætið?
Could I say sæti við ganginn instead of gangsætið?
Yes, you absolutely can! While gangsætið is a handy compound word for 'the aisle seat', you can also use the preposition við to describe the location: sætið við ganginn (the seat by the aisle). Because við here describes a spatial location right next to something, it takes the accusative case, making the masculine noun gangur become ganginn.
Why does gangsætið have an 's' in the middle, but miðjusætið doesn't?
When combining words in Icelandic, the first word is often put into the genitive (possessive) case to link them. The genitive of the masculine noun gangur (aisle) is gangs, so it forms gangsætið. However, miðja (middle) is a weak feminine noun, and its genitive is miðju, resulting in miðjusætið without an extra 's'.
How do I know which gender the definite article -ð is matching at the end of these compound words?
In Icelandic compound words, the gender and declension always follow the very last word in the chain. Here, the final part is sæti (seat), which is a neuter noun. Therefore, both words take the neuter definite article -ð to mean 'the middle seat' (miðjusætið) and 'the aisle seat' (gangsætið).
What case are the seats in here?
They are in the accusative case. The verb vilja (to want) requires the thing being wanted to be in the accusative. Because sæti is a neuter noun, its nominative and accusative forms are completely identical, so the words look exactly the same as they would if they were the subject of the sentence.
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