Breakdown of Hver er til í að koma með fingramatinn?
vera
to be
koma
to come
hver
who / what / which (one)
að
to (infinitive marker)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
með
with
til
to
fingramaturinn
the finger food
Questions & Answers about Hver er til í að koma með fingramatinn?
How exactly does the phrase vera til í work in this sentence?
Vera til í is an idiomatic phrase meaning "to be up for" or "to be willing to." In this sentence, it is followed by að and the infinitive verb koma. If you wanted to use a noun instead of a verb (e.g., "Who is up for a party?"), that noun would need to be in the accusative case.
Why is koma translated as "bringing" instead of "coming"?
To say "bring" in Icelandic, you often use the phrasal verb koma með (literally "to come with"). So, að koma með fingramatinn translates smoothly to "bringing the finger food."
Wait, doesn't the preposition með usually take the dative case? Why is fingramatinn in the accusative here?
Good catch! While með usually takes the dative when it means "together with" (like going to the store with a friend), it triggers the accusative case when it's part of the phrasal verbs koma með (to bring) or vera með (to have/carry). Fingramatur is a masculine noun, so its accusative definite form is fingramatinn.
How is the word fingramatinn constructed?
It is a literal equivalent to the English "finger food." It combines fingra, which is the genitive plural of fingur (meaning "of fingers"), and matur (food). The -inn at the end is the attached masculine definite article, giving us "the finger food."
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