Breakdown of Vilt þú fara snemma heim?
þú
you
heim
home
fara
to go
vilja
to want (to will, be willing)
snemma
early
Questions & Answers about Vilt þú fara snemma heim?
Why is there no að before fara here? The lesson mentions modal verbs taking að.
While many helper verbs like þurfa (to need) require að before the next verb, vilja (to want) is a special exception. It connects directly to the infinitive without að. That is why we say Vilt þú fara and never Vilt þú að fara.
How do we know this is a question just from the word order?
To make a yes/no question in Icelandic, you swap the verb and the subject. The statement for 'You want' is Þú vilt. By putting the verb first, it becomes the question Vilt þú (Do you want?). English does this by adding the helper word 'Do', but Icelandic just changes the order!
I learned the verb 'to want' is vilja. Why is it spelled vilt here?
Vilja is the infinitive, or dictionary form, of the verb. Verbs change their endings to match the person doing the action. When the subject is þú (you), the correct matching form is vilt.
I have seen the word heima for 'home'. Why does this sentence use heim?
Icelandic changes the word for 'home' based on whether you are moving or staying still. You use heima when you are already at your house (staying in one place). You use heim when you are traveling toward your house, like in fara heim (to go home).
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