Breakdown of Ert þú að máta þessa peysu?
vera
to be
þú
you
að
to (infinitive marker)
peysan
the sweater
þessi
this (m/f)
máta
to try on
Questions & Answers about Ert þú að máta þessa peysu?
Why do we use þessa instead of þessi for 'this'?
The verb að máta (to try on) requires its object to be in the accusative case. Since the word for sweater (peysa) is feminine, the feminine word for 'this' (þessi) changes to its accusative form, which is þessa.
Why is the word for sweater written as peysu here?
Peysa is the dictionary form. Because the sweater is the direct object being tried on, it has to be in the accusative case. For many feminine nouns ending in -a, the ending changes to -u in the accusative, making it peysu.
What does the að do in this sentence?
It creates the present continuous tense, meaning an action happening right now. Just like in English, Icelandic uses the verb to be (ert) + að + the infinitive verb (máta) to say 'are trying on' instead of just 'try on'.
In spoken Icelandic, do people usually say Ert þú as two separate words?
In careful speech or writing, yes. But in everyday conversation, Ert þú is almost always squeezed together into a single word: Ertu. You will hear Ertu að máta... very often!
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