Breakdown of Mig langar að vera tilbúinn.
vera
to be
mig
me (acc)
langa
to want
að
to (infinitive marker)
tilbúinn
ready
Questions & Answers about Mig langar að vera tilbúinn.
Why does this sentence start with Mig instead of Ég?
The verb langa (to want) is an impersonal verb. This means the person experiencing the feeling is grammatically treated as the object. Instead of the nominative ég (I), you must use the accusative mig (me). It is similar to saying "It longs me to be ready."
How do I change this to ask "Do you want to be ready?"
You apply the exact same rule to the 2nd person pronoun. The accusative form of þú (you) is þig. Because langa is impersonal, the verb form doesn't change. You simply use the 2nd person pronoun and flip the word order to make a question: Langar þig að vera tilbúinn?
If mig is in the accusative case, why isn't the adjective tilbúinn also accusative?
It might seem like they should match, but the verb vera (to be) always connects to the nominative case. Even though the sentence is driven by the accusative mig, the state of being ready describes the logical subject using the nominative case. Tilbúinn is the masculine nominative form.
How would this sentence look if a woman were saying it?
The adjective must match the gender of the speaker. A male speaker uses the masculine tilbúinn, but a female speaker would use the feminine form tilbúin. A woman would say Mig langar að vera tilbúin.
Why is the word að needed before vera?
The word að is the infinitive marker, functioning exactly like "to" in English. Because langar is the main conjugated verb, the second verb vera (be) is kept in its un-conjugated dictionary form. Together, að vera means "to be".
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