Breakdown of Við þurfum að mæta nákvæmlega klukkan hálf sjö.
við
we
að
to (infinitive marker)
sjö
seven
þurfa
to need
klukkan
the clock
hálfur
half
mæta
to show up
nákvæmlega
exactly
Questions & Answers about Við þurfum að mæta nákvæmlega klukkan hálf sjö.
Why does hálf sjö translate to half past six? Shouldn't it be half past seven?
This is a massive trap for English speakers! In Icelandic, hálf (half) looks ahead to the next hour. So hálf sjö literally means halfway to seven, which is 6:30. If you wanted to say half past seven, you would look ahead to eight and say hálf átta.
How do you say "at" before the time? There is no word for it in this sentence.
You don't need one! In Icelandic, simply saying klukkan followed by the time works just like "at" a certain time in English. If you wanted to say "The time IS 6:30," you would add the verb to be and say: Klukkan er hálf sjö.
Why is there an að before mæta?
Þurfum is the "we" form of the verb þurfa (to need). Just like in English, when you say "need to do something," you connect the first verb to the dictionary form of the second verb using að. So here, we have þurfum að mæta (need to show up).
Can I use fara (to go) instead of mæta here?
You could, but mæta is a great word to learn because it has a more specific meaning. It means to show up, to attend, or to arrive for something scheduled, like work, a class, or a meeting. Fara just means to go in a general sense.
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