{"id":2140,"date":"2013-04-08T08:30:31","date_gmt":"2013-04-08T08:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/?p=2140"},"modified":"2013-04-08T08:30:31","modified_gmt":"2013-04-08T08:30:31","slug":"subjunctive-mood-it-can-be-easy-to-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/2013\/04\/08\/subjunctive-mood-it-can-be-easy-to-use\/","title":{"rendered":"Subjunctive mood; it can be easy to use!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Wouldn’t it be awesome if there was a way of telling when to use this form of verbs in Icelandic? Something that would always, or almost always work for you, and that the exceptions would be easy to tell apart? Here’s the good news – there are such rules! Here’s the bad news – it means learning certain verbs by heart. Don’t feel let down though, the list is not long and the exceptions are logical.<\/p>\n

The basics of subjunctive mood, or vi\u00f0tengingarh\u00e1ttur<\/em>, were explained in this post<\/a>. Now I’m going to get on a bit deeper level, to the situation when you almost always use vi\u00f0tengingarh\u00e1ttur<\/em> vs. the situations when you almost always use frams\u00f6guh\u00e1ttur<\/em> (= indicative mood).<\/p>\n

A\u00f0-sentence<\/strong><\/p>\n

In\u00a0a\u00f0-sentences<\/strong>\u00a0certain verbs will have strong preferences towards one or the other of these forms. But what is an a\u00f0-sentence?\u00a0In short, any sentence that has two or more sentences tied together with a\u00f0<\/em> as a conjunction is one. (A\u00f0<\/em> can also be used as a preposition, in which case it often translates as “to” or “towards”, “as”, “at”, “for” or “from”, all depending on the context.) It’s function is to explain the sentence that happened before:<\/p>\n

\u00c9g veit a\u00f0<\/strong> \u00fe\u00fa heitir John<\/em>. (= I know that<\/strong> your name is John.) The first sentence tells you that I know something, the second one defines that what I know is that your name is John.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00c9g held \u00fea\u00f0 s\u00e9 h\u00e6gt a\u00f0 fara \u00feanga\u00f0…<\/em><\/p>\n

(= I think that it might be possible to go over there…)<\/p>\n

Vi\u00f0tengingarh\u00e1ttur -verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n

As this mood always shows some kind of uncertainty – wishes, hopes, assumptions, estimations, possibilities etc. – the verbs that lean strongly towards it tend to mean something related:<\/p>\n

Vona<\/strong> (= to wish); \u00c9g vona<\/strong> a\u00f0 \u00feetta s\u00e9<\/strong> r\u00e9tt<\/em>. (= I wish that that is correct.)<\/p>\n

Vilja*<\/strong> (= to want, to will); \u00c9g vil<\/strong> a\u00f0 hann komi<\/strong> hinga\u00f0<\/em>. (= I want that he would come here.)<\/p>\n

Telja<\/strong> (= to count, to consider, to think); Hann telur<\/strong> a\u00f0 h\u00fan lesi<\/strong> \u00fea\u00f0 sem er skrifa\u00f0 um hana<\/em>. (= He thinks that she reads what is written about her.)<\/p>\n

Halda<\/strong> (= to hold, to believe, to assume); \u00c9g held<\/strong> a\u00f0 mj\u00f3lkin s\u00e9 b\u00fain<\/em>. (= I think that we’re out of milk\/milk is finished.)<\/p>\n

\u00c1l\u00edta<\/strong> (= to consider, to believe, to think); Hann \u00e1l\u00edtur<\/strong> a\u00f0 h\u00fan\u00a0eigi<\/strong>\u00a0a\u00f0 kaupa hesta.<\/em> (= He believes that she should buy horses.)<\/p>\n

\u00d3ska<\/strong> (= to wish, to hope); \u00c9g \u00f3ska<\/strong> a\u00f0 \u00fe\u00fa baki<\/strong> k\u00f6ku handa m\u00e9r<\/em>. (= I wish you would bake me a cake.)<\/p>\n

\u00c6skja<\/strong> (= to strongly wish, to desire); \u00deau \u00e6skja<\/strong> a\u00f0 \u00fe\u00fa b\u00ed\u00f0ir<\/strong> eftir \u00feeim<\/em>. (= They want that you would wait for them.)<\/p>\n

Segja*<\/strong> (= to say); Hann segir<\/strong> a\u00f0 \u00feetta s\u00e9<\/strong> r\u00e9tt en \u00e9g er \u00f3samm\u00e1la<\/em>. (= He says that it would be correct but I disagree.)<\/p>\n

Other verbs that belong in this group are skipa<\/strong> (= to order, to command),\u00a0\u00feurfa*<\/strong> (= to need to, to have to), efast um<\/strong> (= to doubt), b\u00faast vi\u00f0<\/strong> (= to expect, anticipate), \u00f3ttast<\/strong> (= to be afraid of), finnast<\/strong> (= to find\/think, to seem), gruna<\/strong> (= to suspect), vir\u00f0ast<\/strong> (= to appear to be) and heyrast<\/strong> (= to be “heard”, something has been said to be so). Every verb marked with an asterisk means that although they are most commonly used for subjunctive mood they can be used for indicative mood as well if the topic is certain.<\/p>\n

Hann segir<\/strong> a\u00f0 J\u00f3n s\u00e9<\/strong> veikur<\/em>. (= He says that J\u00f3n might be ill.)<\/p>\n

Hann segir<\/strong> a\u00f0 J\u00f3n er<\/strong> veikur.<\/em> (= He says that J\u00f3n is ill.)<\/p>\n

Difference between these two is that the first one strongly hints that it’s not at all certain if J\u00f3n actually is ill, he might just as well be calling in sick to skip work. The second one notes a certainty: yes, he is ill, he caught the stomach bug that’s been going around.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Vi\u00f0 vissum a\u00f0 Alf var h\u00e9r.<\/em><\/p>\n

(= We know that Alf was here.)<\/p>\n

Frams\u00f6guh\u00e1ttur -verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Skilja<\/strong> (= to understand); Hann skilur<\/strong> a\u00f0 \u00feetta\u00a0er<\/strong> r\u00e9tt.<\/em> (= He knows\/understands that it’s correct.)<\/p>\n

Sj\u00e1<\/strong> (= to see); H\u00fan\u00a0s\u00e9r<\/strong> a\u00f0 hann tekur\u00a0<\/strong>b\u00f3kina<\/em>. (= She sees that he takes the book.)<\/p>\n

Heyra<\/strong> (= to hear); \u00c9g heyri<\/strong> a\u00f0 hann\u00a0hr\u00fdtur<\/strong>.<\/em> (= I hear that he’s snoring.)<\/p>\n

Vita*<\/strong> (= to know); J\u00f3n\u00a0veit<\/strong> a\u00f0 \u00fe\u00fa veist<\/strong><\/em>. (= J\u00f3n knows that you know.)<\/p>\n

Muna<\/strong> (= to remember); \u00c9g man<\/strong> a\u00f0 kennarinn er<\/strong> veikur<\/em>. (= I remember that the teacher is ill.)<\/p>\n

Many verbs are made by combining the verb vera<\/strong> with them, such as sanna\u00f0 er<\/strong> (= it’s proven) etc. These verbs can be used both ways, but they are likelier to take indicative mood.<\/p>\n

If a sentence uses vi\u00f0tengingarh\u00e1ttur (VH) both verbs have to be in the same tense. With frams\u00f6guh\u00e1ttur (FH) that’s not always necessary.<\/p>\n

\u00c9g held<\/strong> a\u00f0 hann s\u00e9<\/strong> heima.<\/em> (= I think that he’s home.) (VH)<\/p>\n

\u00c9g h\u00e9lt<\/strong> a\u00f0 hann v\u00e6ri<\/strong> heima.<\/em> (= I thought that he was home.) (VH)<\/p>\n

\u00c9g veit<\/strong> a\u00f0 hann er<\/strong> heima<\/em>. (= I know that he’s home.) (FH)<\/p>\n

\u00c9g veit<\/strong> a\u00f0 hann var<\/strong> heima<\/em>. (= I know that he was home.) (FH)<\/p>\n

\u00c9g vissi<\/strong> a\u00f0 hann var<\/strong> heima<\/em>. (= I knew that he was home.) (FH)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It really is quite simple to use vi\u00f0tengingarh\u00e1ttur in its basic forms once you get the hang of it; the main challenge you’ll face is learning all the verb forms by heart, but once that’s done it’s all smooth sailing! Remember\u00a0BIN<\/a>, it’s the best friend of every Icelandic learner.<\/p>\n

Next time we’ll be looking at negation and question sentences – see you in part 3! \u00a0\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Wouldn’t it be awesome if there was a way of telling when to use this form of verbs in Icelandic? Something that would always, or almost always work for you, and that the exceptions would be easy to tell apart? Here’s the good news – there are such rules! Here’s the bad news – it…<\/p>\n

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