Breakdown of Eigum við að þvo þvottinn í dag?
við
we
að
to (infinitive marker)
í dag
today
þvo
to wash
eiga að
to be supposed to
þvotturinn
the laundry
Questions & Answers about Eigum við að þvo þvottinn í dag?
Why does this sentence start with Eigum if that verb usually means "to own"?
Eigum is the "we" form of eiga. While it normally means "to own", when you pair it with að and an action verb (like að þvo here), it changes meaning to "have to" or "be supposed to". So Eigum við að... means "Are we supposed to..." or "Should we...".
Could I leave out að and just say "Eigum við þvo..."?
No, you must keep að. When using eiga for obligation, it always requires the infinitive marker að before the main action verb. Leaving it out would be like saying "Are we supposed wash" in English.
Why does þvottinn end in -inn?
Þvottinn means "the laundry". The base word is þvottur, which changes to þvott because it is the direct object receiving the action of the verb þvo (accusative case). Then, we add the definite article suffix -inn to make it "the laundry".
Does í dag literally translate to "in day"?
Yes! Icelandic uses the preposition í (in) followed by dag (day, in the accusative case) to mean "today". It is a fixed phrase you will see very often.
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