Breakdown of Komið þið í afmælið með okkur?
þið
you (plural)
við
we
koma
to come
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
með
with
afmælið
the birthday
Questions & Answers about Komið þið í afmælið með okkur?
Why is okkur used after með instead of við?
The pronoun við means "we". In Icelandic, when the preposition með is used to mean "with" (as in accompanying someone), it forces the following word into the dative case. Okkur is the dative form of við, which gives us með okkur (with us).
Who is þið, and why does the sentence start with a verb?
Þið means "you" in the plural (when you are talking to more than one person). The verb koma (to come) changes to komið to match it. To ask a yes/no question in Icelandic, you just swap the verb and the subject, which is why it starts with Komið þið (Are you coming?).
Why does afmæli have a -ð at the end here?
The -ð is the attached definite article, which changes afmæli (a birthday) into afmælið (the birthday). It's very common in Icelandic to talk about going to "the" birthday rather than just "a" birthday.
Why is the preposition í used for "to" the birthday?
While í usually means "in", it is also used for motion towards events, gatherings, or specific places (like going to the cinema or a party). Because it shows motion towards a destination, it triggers the accusative case. Luckily, because afmæli is a neuter noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as the base word!
Why isn't there a word for "are" in "Are you coming?"
Icelandic doesn't have an exact equivalent for the English continuous tense (are coming / am doing). The simple present tense form komið þið covers both "do you come" and "are you coming". You have to figure out which one sounds better in English based on the context.
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