Fronting for Emphasis

Level 4

Þessa bók hef ég lesið. (This book I have read.) The object comes first, the verb stays second and the subject follows the verb.

How It Works

Objects.

  • Ég hef lesið þessa bók. → Þessa bók hef ég lesið. (This book I have read.)
  • Ég treysti honum ekki. → Honum treysti ég ekki. (Him I don't trust.) honum stays dative, because treysta takes the dative (see dative verbs).
  • Það veit ég ekki. (That I don't know.) This is very common in everyday speech.

Contrast. Fronting often sets two things against each other:

  • Kaffi drekk ég ekki, en te drekk ég oft. (Coffee I don't drink, but tea I drink often.)
  • Hana þekki ég vel, en manninn hennar hef ég aldrei hitt. (Her I know well, but her husband I have never met.)

Other parts. Time and place phrases often come first (see verb-second word order). A name or an adjective after vera can also come first for emphasis: Magnús heiti ég. (Magnús is my name.) Ríkur er hann ekki. (Rich he is not.)

What stays the same. Only one part comes before the verb. The verb is always second, and ekki comes after the subject when the subject follows the verb: Honum treysti ég ekki.

Related orders. Formal writing has another kind of fronting that fills an empty first place, see stylistic fronting. Stories sometimes put the verb first, see narrative inversion.

Examples (6)

  1. Þessa bók hef ég lesið.

    I have read this book.

    Word by Word: This book (accusative) have I read.

    þessa bók stays accusative at the front.

  2. Honum treysti ég ekki.

    I don't trust him.

    Word by Word: Him (dative) trust I not.

  3. Það veit ég ekki.

    I don't know that.

    Word by Word: That know I not.

  4. Kaffi drekk ég ekki, en te drekk ég oft.

    I don't drink coffee, but I often drink tea.

    Word by Word: Coffee drink I not, but tea drink I often.

    Fronting both objects sets coffee and tea against each other.

  5. Hana þekki ég vel, en manninn hennar hef ég aldrei hitt.

    I know her well, but I have never met her husband.

    Word by Word: Her know I well, but the husband her have I never met.

  6. Magnús heiti ég.

    My name is Magnús.

    Word by Word: Magnús am-called I.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the subject before the verb.

    Þessa bók ég hef lesið.
    Þessa bók hef ég lesið.

    The fronted object takes the first place, so the verb comes second and the subject follows it.

  • Changing the case of the fronted object.

    Hann treysti ég ekki.
    Honum treysti ég ekki.

    treysta takes the dative. hann is the nominative or accusative form, but the object keeps its dative case wherever it stands, so it is honum.

How It Connects

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

Fronting for EmphasisLevel 4

Learn This First

Fronting builds on word order and the accusative.