Breakdown of Þú átt að skrifa ritgerðina í dag.
þú
you
að
to (infinitive marker)
skrifa
to write
í dag
today
eiga að
to be supposed to
ritgerðin
the essay
Questions & Answers about Þú átt að skrifa ritgerðina í dag.
I thought the verb eiga meant to own. Why does it mean are supposed to here?
You are right! By itself, eiga usually means to own. However, when it is followed by að and an infinitive verb, like að skrifa in this sentence, the meaning changes. The phrase eiga að expresses obligation, meaning to be supposed to or ought to.
Why is the verb spelled átt instead of á or eiga?
Átt is the form of the verb eiga that goes with þú (you, singular). The verb eiga has an irregular vowel change in the present tense: ég á, þú átt, and hann/hún/það á.
Why does the word for essay end in -ina here?
The word ritgerðina is the definite form, meaning the essay, rather than just an essay. It is also in the accusative case because it is the direct object receiving the action of the verb skrifa (to write). For a feminine noun like ritgerð, the definite accusative ending is -ina.
Why is today written as two separate words, í dag?
In Icelandic, the word for today is a phrase that literally translates to in day. The preposition í here takes the accusative form of the masculine noun dagur (day), which is dag. You will see this same two-word pattern in other time expressions like í kvöld (tonight).
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