Breakdown of Ertu til í samskotaveisluna okkar í kvöld?
vera
to be
þú
you
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
kvöldið
the evening
til
to
okkar
our
samskotaveislan
the potluck
Questions & Answers about Ertu til í samskotaveisluna okkar í kvöld?
Why is the noun in the accusative case here?
The idiomatic phrase vera til í (to be up for) is driven by the preposition í, which governs the accusative case in this context. Therefore, the noun becomes samskotaveisluna instead of the nominative samskotaveislan.
What exactly is a samskotaveisla?
It is a compound of samskot (a collection, contribution, or chipping in) and veisla (a party or feast). It perfectly translates the concept of a potluck, where everyone brings something to share.
Why does the sentence say samskotaveisluna okkar with the definite article on the noun?
In Icelandic, when you use a possessive pronoun like okkar (our), the preceding noun almost always takes the definite article suffix. Literally, it translates to "the-potluck our". Note that okkar is simply the genitive of við (we) and never changes its form to match the noun.
How would I change this to ask if someone is up for doing an action?
When using vera til í with an action rather than a noun, you add the infinitive marker að followed by the verb in its infinitive form. For example, Ertu til í að koma í kvöld? means "Are you up for coming tonight?"
Learn Ertu til í samskotaveisluna okkar í kvöld and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free