Breakdown of Gætirðu aðstoðað mig í eitt augnablik?
ég
I
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
einn
one
gætirðu
could you
aðstoða
to assist
augnablikið
the moment
Questions & Answers about Gætirðu aðstoðað mig í eitt augnablik?
What makes gætirðu the right choice for a polite request?
Gætirðu translates to "could you". It comes from the verb geta (can/to be able to), but is in a special mood called the subjunctive. Using this past subjunctive form makes a request softer and much more polite than asking directly with geturðu (can you). The -ðu on the end is just the pronoun þú (you) merged with the verb.
Why does aðstoðað end in -ð rather than being the infinitive aðstoða?
The verb geta (and its polite form gætir) is unique in Icelandic because it is followed by the supine form of the main verb, never the infinitive. The supine usually looks identical to the neuter past participle, which is why it ends in -ð. Whenever you use gætirðu for "could you", the action you are requesting must be in this supine form.
Why do we use mig (me) here instead of the dative form mér?
The verb aðstoða (to assist) forces the person being assisted into the accusative case, and the accusative of ég (I) is mig. This is a great contrast to keep in mind: if you used the more common word for "help" (hjálpa), you would need the dative case mér.
I thought í meant "in". Why is it used here for "for one moment"?
While í is primarily used as "in" for locations, it is also the standard preposition for expressing a duration of time, translating to "for". When used to show how long something lasts, í always takes the accusative case, giving us the accusative phrase eitt augnablik.
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