Breakdown of Vinsamlegast segið mér hvenær ferðamennirnir koma hingað.
ég
I
koma
to come
hvenær
when
hingað
here (direction)
segja
to say
ferðamaðurinn
the tourist
vinsamlegast
please
Questions & Answers about Vinsamlegast segið mér hvenær ferðamennirnir koma hingað.
Why is the word order hvenær ferðamennirnir koma instead of hvenær koma ferðamennirnir?
Because this is an indirect question! In a direct question, the verb comes right after the question word (hvenær koma ferðamennirnir?). But when you embed it inside another sentence like 'Please tell me...', Icelandic uses normal statement word order: the subject (ferðamennirnir) followed by the verb (koma).
Why use segið here instead of segðu?
segið is the plural or formal command form of the verb segja (to say/tell). The speaker is either addressing a group of people or speaking formally to one person. If you were speaking informally to one friend, you would use segðu.
Why is 'me' translated as mér in this sentence?
The verb segja (to say/tell) requires the person being told to be in the dative case. mér is the dative form of the pronoun ég (I).
Why use hingað for 'here' instead of hér?
Icelandic has different words for location and movement. hér means 'here' as a static location (being here). hingað means 'to here', showing movement towards the speaker. Since the tourists are arriving or coming (koma), we must use the motion word hingað.
How does the long word ferðamennirnir break down?
It is a compound word. ferða comes from ferð (trip or journey), and menn is the plural of maður (person or man). The -irnir at the very end is the attached definite article for masculine plural nouns, meaning 'the'. Together, they make 'the tourists'.
Learn Vinsamlegast segið mér hvenær ferðamennirnir koma hingað 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