Breakdown of Þetta er lokakallið og við erum um það bil að missa af fluginu.
þetta
this
vera
to be
og
and
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
við
we
að
to (infinitive marker)
um
about
flugið
the flight
missa af
to miss
bilið
the gap
lokakallið
the final call
Questions & Answers about Þetta er lokakallið og við erum um það bil að missa af fluginu.
How does the phrase vera um það bil að work to show the immediate future?
Um það bil is a fixed phrase that literally means "around that interval" or "approximately." When you combine it with the verb vera (to be) and the infinitive marker að, it creates the immediate future aspect. Just like in English, við erum um það bil að missa af translates directly to "we are just about to miss."
Why do we need the preposition af after missa?
If you just use the verb missa alone, it usually means "to lose" something (like losing your keys or a loved one), and it takes an accusative object. To express "missing" an event, a vehicle, or an opportunity, you must use the phrasal verb missa af. Because the preposition af always triggers the dative case, flugið (the flight) changes to its dative form, fluginu.
How is the word lokakallið constructed?
It is a compound noun made of the prefix loka- (meaning "final" or "end," derived from the noun lok) and the noun kall (call), plus the attached definite article -ið. The prefix loka- is extremely common in Icelandic for expressing finality, such as in lokapróf (final exam) or lokaákvörðun (final decision).
Why is the neuter pronoun þetta used at the beginning of the sentence?
Þetta is the neuter singular form of "this." While the noun it refers to here (kall) happens to be neuter anyway, remember that in Icelandic, when you are introducing or pointing something out with "This is..." or "That is...", you always use the neuter singular pronoun (þetta or það), regardless of the actual grammatical gender of the noun that follows.
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