Verb-First Narration
Fór hann þá heim og sagði konu sinni frá. (He then went home and told his wife about it.) The verb comes first, then the subject.
How It Works
Where you meet it.
- Stories and the sagas: Fór hann þá heim og sagði konu sinni frá. See reading the sagas.
- News: Segir í tilkynningunni að enginn hafi slasast. (The announcement says that no one was hurt.)
- After og: Maðurinn slasaðist og var hann fluttur á sjúkrahús. (The man was injured and was taken to hospital.)
- Moving on: Kemur nú að því að velja. (Now it is time to choose.)
A statement, not a question. A yes/no question also starts with the verb, but in writing it ends with a question mark, and it asks for an answer. Fór hann heim? (Did he go home?) asks; Fór hann þá heim. tells.
Both orders are correct. og hann var fluttur and og var hann fluttur mean the same. The verb-first order sounds more like written narration.
Only in main clauses. In an að-clause the subject comes first: Ég veit að hann fór heim. Clauses that start with a verb inside a longer sentence can also be conditions without ef (Komi hann ekki, förum við), which is a different pattern. Stories told in the historical present often use verb-first sentences too.
Examples (5)
- Fór hann þá heim og sagði konu sinni frá.
He then went home and told his wife about it.
Word by Word: Went he then home and told wife his from.
- Kemur nú að því að velja.
Now it is time to choose.
Word by Word: Comes now to it to choose.
- Maðurinn slasaðist og var hann fluttur á sjúkrahús.
The man was injured and was taken to hospital.
Word by Word: The-man got-hurt and was he moved to hospital.
After og the verb can come first. og hann var fluttur is also correct.
- Segir í tilkynningunni að enginn hafi slasast.
The announcement says that no one was hurt.
Word by Word: Says in the-announcement that nobody have been-hurt.
A typical news sentence.
- Var nú haldið af stað.
Then they set off.
Word by Word: Was now held off place.
Verb first with the impersonal passive, common in narration.
Common Mistakes
Putting the verb first in an að-clause.
Ég veit að fór hann heim.Ég veit að hann fór heim.Verb-first order is only for main clauses. In an að-clause the subject comes before the verb.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Verb-first narration builds on yes/no questions.
Related Patterns
- The Verb Comes Second
The normal order, which narrative inversion breaks on purpose.
Level 1 - Conditional Clauses Omitting This Word: efConditions Without Ef
A clause starting with a subjunctive verb can mean if: Komi hann ekki, ...
Level 5 - Historical Present in Narrative
Stories in the present tense often use verb-first sentences.
Level 6 - Reading the Sagas
The sagas use verb-first narration very often.
Level 6 - Impersonal Passive (það var dansað)
Var nú haldið af stað combines both patterns.
Level 4
Practice Verb-First Narration in Bubblegum
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