Breakdown of Við sáumst á hittingnum.
við
we
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
sjást
to see each other
hittingurinn
the get-together
Questions & Answers about Við sáumst á hittingnum.
How do we form the past tense middle voice verb sáumst?
It comes from the active verb sjá (to see). In the past tense, 'we saw' is við sáum. To make it middle voice, you just add the -st ending directly to that conjugated verb, giving us sáumst.
What exactly does the -st ending do to the meaning here?
In this sentence, the -st ending gives the verb a reciprocal meaning ('each other'). While við sáum means 'we saw' (pointing at something else), við sáumst means 'we saw each other'.
Why is 'at the get-together' translated as á hittingnum instead of using the dictionary form hittingur?
The preposition á (at/on) requires the following noun to be in the dative case when you are talking about a stationary location. Hittingur is a masculine noun, and its dative form with the definite article ('the') attached becomes hittingnum.
Is the noun hittingur related to the verb hitta (to meet)?
Yes! Hittingur is a very common, slightly informal noun derived directly from hitta. It is the go-to word in spoken Icelandic for a casual get-together, meetup, or gathering.
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