The Past Subjunctive

Level 3

The past subjunctive makes something unreal, polite or reported: Ef ég væri ríkur ... (If I were rich ...), Gætirðu hjálpað mér? (Could you help me?)

How It Works

Endings. ég -i, þú -ir, hún -i, við -um, þið -uð, þau -u: væri, værir, væri, værum, væruð, væru.

Strong verbs: past plural + vowel change.

  • fara: fórum → færi
  • koma: komum → kæmi
  • taka: tókum → tæki
  • geta: gátum → gæti
  • verða: urðum → yrði
  • vera: væri (irregular)

A few keep their vowel: fá, fengum → fengi. Check new verbs by their principal parts.

Weak verbs and preterite-present verbs. Their past ends in -ði, -di or -ti. Most have a past subjunctive that is the same as the past indicative: talaði, borðaði, vildi, vissi. A few change their vowel: hafa → hefði, segja → segði, þurfa → þyrfti, kunna → kynni, eiga → ætti and mega → mætti.

Uses.

  • Unreal conditions: Ef ég væri ríkur myndi ég ferðast um heiminn. See ef + past subjunctive.
  • Polite requests: Gætirðu hjálpað mér? Mætti ég fá vatnsglas? See gætirðu/mætti ég.
  • Wishes: Ég vildi að ég hefði meiri tíma. See ég vildi að.
  • Reported speech after a past verb: Hann sagði að hann kæmi á morgun. See reported speech.

Compare with myndi. myndi + infinitive also means would, but with common verbs the one-word form is shorter and very natural: Það væri gaman (That would be fun).

Examples (6)

  1. Ef ég væri ríkur myndi ég ferðast um heiminn.

    If I were rich, I would travel the world.

    Word by Word: If I were rich would I travel about the world.

  2. Gætirðu hjálpað mér?

    Could you help me?

    Word by Word: Could-you helped me?

    gæti + supine makes a polite request.

  3. Mætti ég fá vatnsglas?

    May I have a glass of water?

    Word by Word: Might I get water-glass?

  4. Ég vildi að ég hefði meiri tíma.

    I wish I had more time.

    Word by Word: I would-want that I had more time.

  5. Hann sagði að hann kæmi á morgun.

    He said he would come tomorrow.

    Word by Word: He said that he came (subj.) tomorrow.

    The main verb sagði is past, so the að-clause uses the past subjunctive.

  6. Það væri gaman.

    That would be fun.

    Word by Word: It were fun.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the past indicative in an unreal condition.

    Ef ég var ríkur myndi ég ferðast um heiminn.
    Ef ég væri ríkur myndi ég ferðast um heiminn.

    An unreal condition needs the past subjunctive. var is the indicative; the subjunctive is væri.

  • Using the past indicative in reported speech about the future.

    Hann sagði að hann kom á morgun.
    Hann sagði að hann kæmi á morgun.

    kom means came and cannot go with á morgun. The past subjunctive kæmi reports a future event.

  • Using the infinitive after gæti.

    Gætirðu hjálpa mér?
    Gætirðu hjálpað mér?

    geta takes the supine in every form, including the past subjunctive gæti.

How It Connects

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The Past SubjunctiveLevel 3

Learn This First

The past subjunctive builds on the present subjunctive and the strong past.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

-ifærikæmihefðiættiværi