enda

And After All (Enda)

Level 5

Hún var þreytt, enda hafði hún unnið allan daginn. (She was tired; after all, she had worked all day.)

How It Works

A reason that fits. enda gives a reason the listener accepts at once, often one that makes the first statement no surprise:

  • Það var fullt af fólki í bænum, enda var veðrið gott. (The town was full of people, which is no wonder, since the weather was good.)
  • Hann talar mjög góða dönsku, enda bjó hann lengi í Kaupmannahöfn. (He speaks very good Danish; after all, he lived in Copenhagen for a long time.)

Word order. After enda the verb comes first and the subject follows: enda var veðrið gott, not enda veðrið var gott.

Compared with other reason words. af því að and vegna þess að (because) simply give a cause, with normal order: ... af því að veðrið var gott. enda adds the sense that this is only natural. It never gives a result: for so or therefore, use þess vegna.

Not enda þótt. enda þótt is a different conjunction and means although. enda is also a verb meaning to end: Myndin endaði vel. (The film ended well.)

Examples (5)

  1. Hún var þreytt, enda hafði hún unnið allan daginn.

    She was tired; after all, she had worked all day.

    Word by Word: She was tired, indeed had she worked all the-day.

    hafði comes right after enda, before hún.

  2. Það var fullt af fólki í bænum, enda var veðrið gott.

    The town was full of people, which is no wonder, since the weather was good.

    Word by Word: It was full of people in the-town, indeed was the-weather good.

  3. Hann talar mjög góða dönsku, enda bjó hann lengi í Kaupmannahöfn.

    He speaks very good Danish; after all, he lived in Copenhagen for a long time.

    Word by Word: He speaks very good Danish, indeed lived he long in Copenhagen.

  4. Maturinn kláraðist fljótt, enda var hann mjög góður.

    The food ran out quickly, which is no wonder, since it was very good.

    Word by Word: The-food finished-itself quickly, indeed was it very good.

  5. Ég er ekki hissa, enda sagði ég þér þetta.

    I am not surprised; after all, I told you so.

    Word by Word: I am not surprised, indeed told I you this.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the subject before the verb after enda.

    Hún var þreytt, enda hún hafði unnið allan daginn.
    Hún var þreytt, enda hafði hún unnið allan daginn.

    enda requires the verb to come first: enda hafði hún.

  • Using enda for a result instead of a reason.

    Hún var þreytt, enda fór hún snemma að sofa.
    Hún var þreytt og fór þess vegna snemma að sofa.

    Going to bed early is the result of being tired, not the reason for it. With enda the sentence says she was tired because she went to bed early, which is not what is meant. Use þess vegna for a result.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

endaLevel 5And After All (Enda)

Learn This First

enda builds on vegna þess að.

Words in This Pattern

endaþess vegna