vera vanur að
Be Used to (Vera Vanur Að)
Hún er vön að drekka te á kvöldin. (She usually drinks tea in the evenings.)
How It Works
Forms of vanur. In the nominative:
- singular: vanur (masculine), vön (feminine), vant (neuter)
- plural: vanir (masculine), vanar (feminine), vön (neuter or a mixed group)
Habits now. Ég er vanur að vakna snemma. (I usually wake up early.) Við erum vön að borða saman á sunnudögum. (We usually eat together on Sundays.) You can also use the plain present with a word like venjulega (usually) or alltaf: Ég vakna venjulega snemma.
Habits in the past. var vanur að means used to: Ég var vanur að reykja. (I used to smoke.) Icelandic has no verb like English used for this.
Used to something. With a noun or pronoun, vanur takes the dative: Ég er ekki vön svona kulda. (I'm not used to this kind of cold.) Hann er vanur þessu. (He is used to this.) To say that you are getting used to something, use venjast + dative: Ég er að venjast myrkrinu. (I'm getting used to the dark.)
Examples (6)
- Ég er vanur að vakna snemma.
I usually wake up early.
Word by Word: I am used to wake early.
A man is speaking. A woman says Ég er vön að vakna snemma.
- Hún er vön að drekka te á kvöldin.
She usually drinks tea in the evenings.
Word by Word: She is used to drink tea on the evenings.
- Við erum vön að borða saman á sunnudögum.
We usually eat together on Sundays.
Word by Word: We are used to eat together on Sundays.
vön is the neuter plural, used for a mixed group.
- Ég var vanur að reykja.
I used to smoke.
Word by Word: I was used to smoke.
- Þeir eru vanir að vinna á næturnar.
They are used to working at night.
Word by Word: They are used to work on the nights.
- Ég er ekki vön svona kulda.
I'm not used to this kind of cold.
Word by Word: I am not used such cold.
With a noun, vanur takes the dative: kulda.
Common Mistakes
Not making vanur agree with the subject.
Hún er vanur að drekka te.Hún er vön að drekka te.vanur is an adjective. With a feminine subject, use vön.
Translating English used to with nota.
Ég notaði að reykja.Ég var vanur að reykja.nota means use. For a past habit, say var vanur að, or var vön að for a woman.
Leaving out að.
Ég er vanur vakna snemma.Ég er vanur að vakna snemma.vera vanur needs að before the infinitive.
How It Connects
Learn This First
vera vanur að builds on strong adjectives and að + infinitive.
Related Patterns
- Adjectives Agree With Nouns
vanur agrees with the subject like any adjective.
Level 1 - á sumrin / á kvöldinRegular Times (Á Sumrin)
Regular times such as á kvöldin often go with vera vanur að.
Level 3 - alltaf / oft / aldreiFrequency Words
Frequency words are another way to talk about habits.
Level 2 - The Dative (þágufall)
vanur + a noun takes the dative: vanur kulda.
Level 2 - var / hafði / átti / vissiPast of Vera, Hafa, Eiga and Vita
var is the past of vera, used in var vanur að (used to).
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice vera vanur að in Bubblegum
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