The Supine (sagnbót)
The supine (sagnbót) is the verb form in Ég hef talað and Ég get komið. It never changes for person, gender or number.
How It Works
Where you meet it. The supine appears after two helper verbs:
- hafa, to make the perfect: Ég hef talað við hana (I have talked to her). See hafa + supine and hafði + supine.
- geta, to say what someone can do: Ég get komið (I can come). See geta.
How it is formed.
- Verbs with the past in -aði take -að: tala → talað, borða → borðað, kalla → kallað.
- Most verbs with the past in -ði, -di or -ti take -t: læra → lært, heyra → heyrt, kenna → kennt, reyna → reynt, kaupa → keypt, hitta → hitt.
- Strong verbs take -ið, and many change their vowel: fara → farið, koma → komið, lesa → lesið, taka → tekið, drekka → drukkið, fá → fengið. sjá has the short form séð.
A few very common verbs need to be learned one by one: vera → verið, hafa → haft, eiga → átt, vita → vitað, geta → getað, vilja → viljað, skilja → skilið. The supine is the last of a verb's principal parts, so learn it together with the past.
It never changes. The subject can be a man, a woman or a group, and the supine stays the same: Hann hefur farið, Hún hefur farið, Þau hafa farið. This makes it different from the past participle used after vera, which agrees with the subject: Hún er farin (she has left). For many verbs the supine looks like the neuter participle, but only the participle changes. See supine or participle.
Examples (6)
- Ég hef talað við hana.
I have talked to her.
Word by Word: I have talked with her.
tala → talað.
- Hefurðu lesið þessa bók?
Have you read this book?
Word by Word: Have-you read this book?
lesa → lesið, a strong verb.
- Við höfum keypt miða.
We have bought tickets.
Word by Word: We have bought tickets.
kaupa → keypt, with a vowel change and -t.
- Ég get ekki komið í kvöld.
I can't come tonight.
Word by Word: I can not come tonight.
geta is followed by the supine komið, not the infinitive koma.
- Hún hefur aldrei séð norðurljósin.
She has never seen the northern lights.
Word by Word: She has never seen the-northern-lights.
sjá → séð.
- Þau hafa oft farið til Spánar.
They have often been to Spain.
Word by Word: They have often gone to Spain.
The supine farið stays the same with a plural subject.
Common Mistakes
Using the infinitive after geta.
Ég get koma á morgun.Ég get komið á morgun.geta always takes the supine. The infinitive koma is used after verbs like vilja and ætla að.
Making the supine agree with the subject after hafa.
Hún hefur farin til Spánar.Hún hefur farið til Spánar.After hafa the form never changes. farin is the participle that agrees with a subject after vera: Hún er farin.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The supine builds on the verb groups.
Related Patterns
- hafa + SupineThe Perfect (Hef Talað)
The perfect tense, the most common use of the supine.
Level 2 - geta + SupineCan (Geta + Supine)
geta is followed by the supine to say what someone can do.
Level 2 - A Verb's Principal Parts
The supine is one of the forms you learn for every verb.
Level 3 - Supine or Participle?
Explains when the form stays fixed and when it agrees with the subject.
Level 4 - hafði + SupineThe Past Perfect (Hafði Talað)
The past perfect uses the same supine after hafði.
Level 3 - Past Participles as Adjectives
The participle looks similar but changes like an adjective.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice The Supine (sagnbót) in Bubblegum
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