var / hafði / átti / vissi

Past of Vera, Hafa, Eiga and Vita

Level 2

The past of vera is var, of hafa hafði, of eiga átti and of vita vissi: Ég var heima í gær.

How It Works

vera → var. Note the new vowel in the plural:

  • ég var, þú varst, hann / hún / það var
  • við vorum, þið voruð, þeir / þær / þau voru

hafa → hafði. hafði, hafðir, hafði, höfðum, höfðuð, höfðu. The a becomes ö before the u of the plural endings (u-umlaut).

eiga → átti. átti, áttir, átti, áttum, áttuð, áttu.

vita → vissi. vissi, vissir, vissi, vissum, vissuð, vissu.

Uses.

  • var for where and how things were: Hvar varstu? (Where were you?)
  • hafði for abstract things, as with hafa: Hún hafði engan tíma. It is also the helper of the past perfect: see hafði + supine.
  • átti for owning and for family, as with eiga: Ég átti hund (I had a dog). With að it means "was supposed to": see eiga að.
  • vissi for knowing facts: Ég vissi það ekki (I didn't know that). See vita/þekkja/kunna.

With þú the question forms join up: varstu, hafðirðu, áttirðu, vissirðu.

Examples (6)

  1. Ég var heima í gær.

    I was at home yesterday.

    Word by Word: I was home yesterday.

  2. Hvar varstu?

    Where were you?

    Word by Word: Where were-you?

    varstu is varst þú joined together.

  3. Ég vissi það ekki.

    I didn't know that.

    Word by Word: I knew it not.

    The pronoun það comes before ekki.

  4. Við vorum í Noregi í fyrra.

    We were in Norway last year.

    Word by Word: We were in Norway last-year.

  5. Ég átti hund þegar ég var lítill.

    I had a dog when I was little.

    Word by Word: I owned dog when I was little.

    Said by a man or boy. A woman or girl says: þegar ég var lítil.

  6. Hún hafði engan tíma.

    She had no time.

    Word by Word: She had no time.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the singular vowel in the plural of var.

    Við varum heima.
    Við vorum heima.

    The plural of var has o: vorum, voruð, voru.

  • Making vita regular.

    Ég vitaði það ekki.
    Ég vissi það ekki.

    vita has the irregular past vissi.

  • Forgetting the ö in the plural of hafði.

    Við hafðum ekki tíma.
    Við höfðum ekki tíma.

    The u of the ending changes a to ö: höfðum.

How It Connects

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

var / hafði / átti / vissiLevel 2Past of Vera, Hafa, Eiga and Vita

Learn This First

These past forms build on eiga, the strong past and vita.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

veravarvorumhafaeigaáttivitavissi