Seeing and Hearing Someone Do
Ég sá hann koma. (I saw him come.) Ég heyrði hana syngja. (I heard her sing.)
How It Works
The pattern. A verb of seeing, hearing or feeling + accusative + infinitive:
- Ég sá hann koma. (I saw him coming.)
- Við heyrðum börnin hlæja úti. (We heard the children laughing outside.)
- Ég fann húsið hristast. (I felt the house shake.)
Tense. The tense is on sjá or heyra. The infinitive never changes: Ég sé hann koma, Ég sá hann koma, Ég hef séð hann koma.
An event or a fact. With an infinitive, you saw or heard the event itself. With að and a full clause, you learned a fact: Ég sá að hann var þreyttur. (I saw that he was tired.) Ég heyrði að hún væri flutt til Akureyrar. (I heard that she had moved to Akureyri.)
The same shape. láta works the same way: Láttu mig vita. (Let me know.) So does telja in formal style. See telja hann vera.
Examples (6)
- Ég sá hann koma.
I saw him coming.
Word by Word: I saw him come.
- Ég heyrði hana syngja.
I heard her sing.
Word by Word: I heard her sing.
- Við heyrðum börnin hlæja úti.
We heard the children laughing outside.
Word by Word: We heard the children laugh outside.
- Hefurðu séð hana dansa?
Have you seen her dance?
Word by Word: Have-you seen her dance?
- Ég heyrði einhvern banka á dyrnar.
I heard someone knock at the door.
Word by Word: I heard someone knock on the door.
einhvern is the accusative of einhver.
- Ég fann húsið hristast.
I felt the house shake.
Word by Word: I felt the house shake.
finna (feel) works the same way.
Common Mistakes
Adding að before the infinitive.
Ég sá hann að koma.Ég sá hann koma.After sjá, heyra and finna, the infinitive comes without að.
Using the -andi form for English -ing.
Ég sá hann komandi.Ég sá hann koma.After sjá and heyra, Icelandic uses the infinitive, not the present participle.
Putting the person in the nominative.
Ég heyrði hún syngja.Ég heyrði hana syngja.The person is the object of heyra, so it is accusative: hana.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Perception + infinitive builds on láta.
Related Patterns
- The Accusative (þolfall)
The person you see or hear is in the accusative.
Level 2 - mig / þig / hann / hanaObject Pronouns (Accusative)
The accusative pronouns used in this pattern.
Level 1 - That-Clauses (að)
Use an að-clause for a fact you noticed: Ég sá að hann var þreyttur.
Level 2 - Present Participles (-andi)
The -andi form is not used for English -ing here.
Level 4 - telja hann veraObject Plus Infinitive (Telja Hann Vera)
A formal pattern with the same accusative + infinitive shape.
Level 5
Words in This Pattern
Practice Seeing and Hearing Someone Do in Bubblegum
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