Breakdown of Við erum að fljúga til Norður-Ameríku.
vera
to be
við
we
að
to (infinitive marker)
fljúga
to fly
til
to
Norður-Ameríka
North America
Questions & Answers about Við erum að fljúga til Norður-Ameríku.
Why use erum að fljúga instead of just the simple present fljúgum?
The structure vera að + infinitive emphasizes an action happening right at this very moment. If you use the simple present Við fljúgum, it could mean a general statement ("We fly") or a future plan ("We will fly"). Við erum að fljúga means you are currently in the air or actively in the process of flying right now.
Why does Ameríku end in an -u instead of an -a?
The preposition til ("to") always requires the following noun to be in the genitive case. The base form of the continent is Ameríka, which is a weak feminine noun. Weak feminine nouns ending in -a change their ending to -u in all other cases (accusative, dative, and genitive).
Why do we use the preposition til here instead of í for going to a place?
When talking about traveling to countries, continents, or large regions, Icelandic generally uses til + genitive. You would typically use í or á (plus accusative) when talking about going to specific cities, neighborhoods, or local buildings.
What are the rules for hyphens and capital letters in place names like Norður-Ameríku?
When a geographical name is a compound where the second part is a proper noun (like Ameríka), Icelandic uses a hyphen to connect them. Because it is a proper place name, both the directional prefix (Norður) and the proper noun (Ameríku) get capitalized.
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