Breakdown of Ég er að ákveða framtíðina mína núna.
vera
to be
ég
I
núna
now
að
to (infinitive marker)
minn
my (m, f, n: minn, mín, mitt)
ákveða
to decide
framtíðin
the future
Questions & Answers about Ég er að ákveða framtíðina mína núna.
Why use er að ákveða instead of just ákveð?
Er að + infinitive (ákveða) creates the present continuous tense, meaning "am deciding" right at this moment. You use it here to emphasize that the process is happening right now (núna). Just saying ég ákveð would mean "I decide" in a more general or habitual sense.
Why does framtíð have the -ina ending here?
The -ina is the feminine accusative definite article (the equivalent of "the"). In Icelandic, when you use a possessive word like "my" (mína), you usually attach the "the" ending to the noun first. So you are literally saying "the future my".
Why is the word for "my" mína instead of minn?
Possessive words have to match the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe. Framtíð (future) is a feminine noun, and because it is the direct object of the verb ákveða (to decide), it is in the accusative case. Mína is the feminine, singular, accusative form of "my".
How would I change this sentence to say "I had to decide my future" using a past tense modal verb?
You would use the past tense of the modal verb þurfa (to need/have to). The past tense for ég is þurfti. The sentence becomes: Ég þurfti að ákveða framtíðina mína. Notice that the main verb (ákveða) stays in the infinitive form after a modal verb.
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