Breakdown of Hann kemur á þriðjudaginn.
hann
he
koma
to come
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
þriðjudagur
Tuesday
Questions & Answers about Hann kemur á þriðjudaginn.
Why does á take the accusative word þriðjudaginn here instead of the dative?
When talking about days of the week, using á + the accusative case + the attached definite article (the -inn at the end) means "this coming [day]". So, á þriðjudaginn means he is coming on this upcoming Tuesday. If we used the dative case without an article (á þriðjudegi), it would change the meaning to a recurring event: "on Tuesdays" in general.
Why is there an attached "the" (-inn) at the end of þriðjudaginn if the English translation is just "on Tuesday"?
While English just says "on Tuesday" to mean the upcoming one, Icelandic requires the definite article to lock in that specific day. You are literally saying "on the Tuesday". Without it, the sentence wouldn't make sense as a specific future plan.
The word kemur means "comes". Why is it translated as "is coming"?
Icelandic doesn't have an exact match for the English "is doing" (continuous) tense for most everyday actions. The simple present tense kemur covers both "comes" and "is coming". Furthermore, just like in English, Icelandic frequently uses the present tense to talk about a scheduled event in the future.
How is the word þriðjudagur (Tuesday) put together?
It is made up of þriðji (third) and dagur (day). In the traditional Icelandic calendar, Sunday is the first day of the week, making Tuesday the "third day". In this sentence, the ending changes to -daginn because it is in the accusative case with the attached word for "the".
Learn Hann kemur á þriðjudaginn and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free