{"id":5477,"date":"2017-06-14T17:13:56","date_gmt":"2017-06-14T17:13:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/?p=5477"},"modified":"2021-04-11T19:40:30","modified_gmt":"2021-04-11T19:40:30","slug":"i-know-how-to-do-it-but-not-how-to-say-it-helping-verbs-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/2017\/06\/14\/i-know-how-to-do-it-but-not-how-to-say-it-helping-verbs-101\/","title":{"rendered":"I Know How To Do It, But Not How To Say It: Helping Verbs 101"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, I\u2019d like to cover a few auxiliary verbs that I consider to be indispensable tools to have in your Icelandic repertoire. All of the verbs in this entry symbolize, in some way, a knowledge of something. They range from ability (h\u00e6fni)<\/em> to aptitude (h\u00e6fileiki<\/em>) to knowledge (kunn\u00e1tta) <\/em>to facts (sta\u00f0reynd) <\/em>to mere familiarity or acquaintance (\u00feekking). <\/em><\/p>\n

First though, an auxiliary verb<\/u><\/strong> is essentially a verb that adds function to the sentence (or clause) in which it appears. In the title of this blog post, I know how to do it<\/em>, the auxiliary verb is \u201cto know.\u201d And, of course, if you have something that\u2019s auxiliary, it means there has to be something that\u2019s primary. The point<\/em> of the sentence I know how to do it<\/em> is \u201cto do,\u201d so that\u2019s your main verb; \u201cto know\u201d allows the sentence to express a complete idea.<\/p>\n

So the auxiliary verb is a helper, and is also called a helping verb<\/u><\/strong> (Icelandic: \u201chj\u00e1lpars\u00f6gn\u201d or \u201chj\u00e1lparsagnor\u00f0\u201d). The main verb in Icelandic is called the \u201ca\u00f0als\u00f6gn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Note: adding a\u00f0al to the beginning of a noun, which can be done easily and often, means that the noun you’ve added it to is the main-something-or-other.<\/div>\n


\nGeta \u2013 to be able to, can<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Geta<\/em> is almost always accompanied by a second verb, just like in English (unless you\u2019re simply saying \u201cI can\u201d). The “main verb” that would be used with geta<\/em> is in the neuter past participle form<\/strong> (e.g., gera\u00a0 = gert, lesa = lesi\u00f0, fara = fari\u00f0, tala = tala\u00f0). The neuter past participle form is listed in the kennimynd<\/em> in the dictionary (detailed below). \u00c9g get gert<\/strong> \u00fea\u00f0<\/em>, means that you can do it. Letid\u00fdri\u00f0 getur\u00a0tala\u00f0<\/strong> <\/em>means “the sloth can talk.” \u00dea\u00f0\u00a0getur l\u00edka flogi\u00f0!\u00a0<\/em>(It can also fly!). \u00c9g get hj\u00e1lpa\u00f0<\/strong> \u00fe\u00e9r ef \u00fe\u00fa vilt <\/em>(I can help you, if you want). Often, if you know the verb type (weak\/strong, and which class of weak\/strong), you can work out what the participle might be.<\/p>\n

How To Use The Kennimynd<\/a><\/h4>\n

\nKennimynd<\/span>
\nThe kennimynd\u00a0of a verb means “principle parts,” i.e., those that are crucial to the declension of the verb. It’s listed in the dictionary immediately after the entry. Here are a version of how it might appear:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Irregular or strong verb:
\nfara (v\u00a0acc): fer; f\u00f3r, f\u00f3ru, fari\u00f0<\/span><\/p>\n

(1) first person present tense (\u00e9g)
\n(2) first person past tense (\u00e9g)
\n(3) third person plural past tense (\u00feeir, \u00fe\u00e6r, \u00feau)
\n(4) past participle<\/p>\n

Strong-ish (weak type 2, etc.):<\/p>\n

\u00a0gera (v\u00a0acc):\u00a0gerir; ger\u00f0i, gert<\/span><\/p>\n

(1) Second person singular present tense (\u00fe\u00fa)
\n(2) First person singular past tense (\u00e9g)
\n(3) Past participle<\/p>\n

If the verb is totally normal \u2013 a weak type 1 \u2013 it\u2019ll just list \u2013a\u00f0i, which is a boon. It\u2019s participle will simply be the verb + \u00f0.
\n\u00a0tal\/a (v)\u00a0-a\u00f0i<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"

Amelie Lachapelle
Courtesy of Pexler.com<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/h3>\n

Kunna \u2013<\/strong>To know how<\/em> to do something.<\/h3>\nIT DOES NOT MEAN \u201cCAN\u201d. BEWARE THE FALSE COGNATE!!<\/span>\n

Kunna <\/em>is used in two ways \u2013 it can be used both as a helping verb and as a main verb. If it\u2019s a helping verb, it\u2019s just like saying \u201cI know how to ride a bicycle,\u201d (\u00e9g kann a\u00f0 hj\u00f3la) <\/em>or \u201cI know how to cook\u201d (\u00e9g kann a\u00f0 elda) <\/em>without using the word \u201chow\u201d. If it\u2019s a main verb, it means \u201cI know Icelandic,\u201d (\u00e9g kann \u00edslensku) <\/em>\u201cI know the poem by heart\u201d (\u00c9g kann lj\u00f3\u00f0i\u00f0 utan a\u00f0). As you can see, its “main verb” is in the infinitive, not the past participle, form.\u00a0<\/em>The noun kunn<\/strong>\u00e1tta<\/strong> \u2013 meaning knowledge, skill \u2013 is the noun form of the verb kunna<\/em>. \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Vita \u2013 to know a fact<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vita <\/em>is used when you know something for a fact. In general, an entire clause or sentence will follow after it, or simply the word \u201c\u00fea\u00f0.\u201d There\u2019s no uncertainty here.<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Vi\u00f0 vitum a\u00f0 s\u00fdningin byrjar klukkan n\u00edu. \u00a0| We know that the show begins at 9.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hann er giftur. \u00c9g veit \u00fea\u00f0. | He is married. I know that.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00c9g veit hvar h\u00fasi\u00f0 hans er.| I know where his house is.<\/em><\/p>\n

Veist \u00fe\u00fa hvort hann heitir \u00dalfar e\u00f0a \u00dalfur? | Do you know if his name is \u00dalfar or \u00dalfur?<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00deekkja – to know of\/to know a person<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00deekkja <\/em>is used when you\u00b4re talking about people (I know her) and when you\u2019re talking about something that you have knowledge of because you\u2019ve seen or heard it. The predicate is always in accusative when you use this verb. Here are a few examples.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\u00c9g \u00feekki allt f\u00f3lki\u00f0 \u00ed h\u00fasinu |\u00a0\u00a0 I know everyone in the house\/building.<\/p>\n

\u00c9g \u00feekki lagi\u00f0 en kann \u00fea\u00f0 samt ekki. | (approx.)<\/em> I\u2019ve heard the song, but I don\u2019t know it.<\/p>\n

H\u00fan \u00feekkir \u00feessa b\u00f3k. \u00a0|\u00a0 She knows the book.<\/p>\n

H\u00fan \u00feekkti mig aftur.\u00a0\u00a0 | She recognized me.<\/p>\n

* Vi\u00f0 \u00feekktumst \u00e1\u00f0ur fyrr. | We knew each other a long time ago.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

*This last example is mediopassive voice. It\u2019s used, in this case, to apply simultaneity \u2013 mutual knowledge of each other. A common example is vi\u00f0 sj\u00e1umst<\/em>, or vi\u00f0 heyrumst,<\/em> roughly equivalent to \u201csee you\u201d or \u201cwe\u2019ll see each other,\u201d and \u201cwe\u2019ll be in touch,\u201d \u201ctalk soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Kannast vi\u00f0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

S\u00ed\u00f0ast en ekki s\u00edst \u2013 last,\u00a0 but not least \u2013 we have kannast vi<\/em>\u00f0. <\/em>To start off, kannast vi\u00f0<\/em> always takes the accusative. It has a similiar meaning to \u00feekkja<\/em>, to know of, but is slightly weaker. \u00a0For example, if you\u00b4re talking about a guy named P\u00e9tur who you recently met, but aren\u00b4t close to (an acquiantance), you\u2019d say:<\/p>\n

\u00c9g kannast vi\u00f0 P\u00e9tur en \u00e9g get varla sagt a\u00f0 \u00e9g \u00feekki hann<\/div>\n

Or, imagine you\u2019re at your friend\u2019s house and they\u2019ve found a scarf. They turn to you to ask if you\u2019ve ever seen this lost scarf before in your life. The conversation might go like this:<\/p>\n

\n

Kannast \u00fe\u00fa nokku\u00f0 vi\u00f0 \u00feennan trefil?
\nYou recognize this scarf?\/Don’t you recognize this scarf?<\/p>\n

J\u00fa, \u00e9g hef s\u00e9\u00f0 hann \u00e1\u00f0ur en \u00e9g man ekki hver \u00e1 hann.
\nYes, I\u2019ve seen it before, but I have no idea who owns it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Those are just a few examples of auxiliary verbs that imply a degree of knowledge. This isn\u2019t an exhaustive list of helping verbs, and we haven\u2019t even covered the use of \u201chafa,\u201d but it\u2019ll get you started. Here\u2019s this week\u2019s video to help you practice listening<\/a>. Let me know how it goes! (Hint: it\u2019s a pun on rekinn<\/em> \u2013 to be fired and drekinn<\/em> \u2013 the dragon).<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Photo by Emmy Geraghty<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Today, I\u2019d like to cover a few auxiliary verbs that I consider to be indispensable tools to have in your Icelandic repertoire. All of the verbs in this entry symbolize, in some way, a knowledge of something. They range from ability (h\u00e6fni) to aptitude (h\u00e6fileiki) to knowledge (kunn\u00e1tta) to facts (sta\u00f0reynd) to mere familiarity or…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":145,"featured_media":5488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[91175],"tags":[91437,91441,91440,140866,91438,91433,91436,91434,91435],"class_list":["post-5477","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-icelandic-grammar","tag-auxiliary-verbs-icelandic","tag-geta-a-ensku","tag-geta-usage","tag-helping-verbs","tag-helping-verbs-icelandic","tag-hjalparsogn","tag-kannast-vid","tag-kunna","tag-thekkja"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/145"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5477"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5747,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5477\/revisions\/5747"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}