Breakdown of Í dag ætla ég að vinna í þessum turni.
ég
I
að
to (infinitive marker)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
í dag
today
vinna
to work (general labor, to do work)
ætla
to intend
þessi
this (m/f)
turninn
the tower
Questions & Answers about Í dag ætla ég að vinna í þessum turni.
Why is "this" translated as þessum here instead of þessi?
The preposition í (in) forces the words following it into the dative case when describing a fixed location, like working inside a tower. Because turn (tower) is a masculine noun, the demonstrative pronoun þessi (this) changes to its dative masculine singular form, which is þessum.
Why does the word for tower end in an -i (turni)?
The base word is the masculine noun turn. Because it is in the dative case after the preposition í, it takes the common dative ending -i. Notice how the pronoun þessum and the noun turni work together as a dative masculine pair.
Why is the word order ætla ég (intend I) rather than ég ætla (I intend)?
Icelandic uses the verb-second rule, meaning the conjugated verb must usually be the second block of information in a sentence. Since the time phrase Í dag (Today) takes up the first position, the verb ætla has to come next, pushing the subject ég to the third spot.
Could I use mun instead of ætla for the future tense here?
Not really. While both can translate to "will" or "going to," ætla is specifically used for personal plans and intentions. Since you are talking about your own plan to work in the tower, ætla is the natural choice.
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