hvenær
When (Hvenær)
hvenær means when? It asks about time: Hvenær kemur strætó? (When is the bus coming?)
How It Works
Asking about time
- Hvenær opnar búðin? (When does the shop open?)
- Hvenær áttu afmæli? (When is your birthday?, literally when do you have a birthday?)
- Hvenær byrjar myndin? (When does the film start?)
Typical answers
Í dag (today), á morgun (tomorrow), í kvöld (tonight), klukkan átta (at eight), í maí (in May). See Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow and Telling the Time.
Questions inside a sentence
After a verb like vita (know), hvenær starts a clause with statement order: Veistu hvenær hann kemur? (Do you know when he's coming?) See Indirect Questions.
hvenær or þegar?
English uses when for both questions and statements. Icelandic splits them: hvenær asks, and When (þegar) tells: Þegar ég var ungur... (When I was young...).
Examples (5)
- Hvenær kemur strætó?
When is the bus coming?
Word by Word: When comes bus?
- Hvenær opnar búðin?
When does the shop open?
Word by Word: When opens the-shop?
- Hvenær áttu afmæli? – Í maí.
When is your birthday? – In May.
Word by Word: When own-you birthday? – In May.
Icelandic says you have (á) a birthday.
- Hvenær byrjar myndin? – Klukkan átta.
When does the film start? – At eight.
Word by Word: When begins the-film? – Clock eight.
- Veistu hvenær hann kemur?
Do you know when he's coming?
Word by Word: Know-you when he comes?
Inside a sentence, hvenær is followed by the subject and then the verb.
Common Mistakes
Using hvenær for when in a statement.
Hvenær ég var ungur bjó ég á Akureyri.Þegar ég var ungur bjó ég á Akureyri.hvenær only asks a question. To say at the time when, use þegar.
Keeping statement order in a direct question.
Hvenær strætó kemur?Hvenær kemur strætó?In a direct question the verb comes right after hvenær, before the subject.
How It Connects
Learn This First
hvenær builds on hvað.
Related Patterns
- þegarWhen (Þegar)
þegar is the when of statements; hvenær is the when of questions.
Level 2 - í gær / í dag / á morgunYesterday, Today and Tomorrow
These time words are common answers to hvenær.
Level 2 - Telling the Time
Klukkan átta answers when something happens at a set time.
Level 2 - Indirect Questions
Inside a sentence, hvenær keeps statement order: hvenær hann kemur.
Level 4 - The Verb Comes Second
hvenær takes the first place, so the verb comes next.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice hvenær in Bubblegum
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