hvort

Whether (Hvort)

Level 3

hvort means whether or if in a hidden yes/no question: Veistu hvort búðin er opin? (Do you know if the shop is open?)

How It Works

From question to hvort-clause. The verb no longer comes first. The subject comes before the verb, and ekki follows the verb as in any subordinate clause:

  • Er búðin opin? → Veistu hvort búðin er opin?
  • Get ég komið? → Ég veit ekki hvort ég get komið.
  • Athugaðu hvort hurðin er læst. (Check whether the door is locked.)

hvort or ef? Both can be if in English. ef gives a condition: Komdu ef þú getur (Come if you can). hvort asks: Ég veit ekki hvort ég get komið (I don't know if I can come).

Mood. After vita, athuga and similar verbs, the indicative is usual: Veistu hvort búðin er opin? When you report a question after spyrja, the subjunctive is common, especially after a past verb: Hún spurði hvort ég væri svangur. Speakers also use the subjunctive to add doubt, and both moods are heard. See reported speech.

hvort ... eða. With eða, hvort lays out two choices: Ég veit ekki hvort ég á að hlæja eða gráta (I don't know whether to laugh or cry). In a direct question, hvort ... eða asks which of two: Hvort viltu kaffi eða te? (Would you like coffee or tea?). This hvort is a form of hvor (which of two). For whether or not, see hvort sem ... eða.

Examples (6)

  1. Veistu hvort búðin er opin?

    Do you know if the shop is open?

    Word by Word: Know-you whether the shop is open?

  2. Ég veit ekki hvort ég get komið.

    I don't know if I can come.

    Word by Word: I know not whether I can come.

  3. Athugaðu hvort hurðin er læst.

    Check whether the door is locked.

    Word by Word: Check whether the door is locked.

  4. Hún spurði hvort ég væri svangur.

    She asked if I was hungry.

    Word by Word: She asked whether I were hungry.

    After the past verb spurði, the subjunctive væri is common. svangur is masculine, so the speaker is a man.

  5. Ég veit ekki hvort ég á að hlæja eða gráta.

    I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

    Word by Word: I know not whether I own to laugh or cry.

  6. Hvort viltu kaffi eða te?

    Would you like coffee or tea?

    Word by Word: Which-of-two want-you coffee or tea?

    In a direct question with eða, hvort asks which of the two.

Common Mistakes

  • Using ef for whether.

    Ég veit ekki ef hann kemur.
    Ég veit ekki hvort hann kemur.

    English if can mean whether. In Icelandic, a hidden yes/no question always takes hvort. ef is only for conditions.

  • Keeping question word order after hvort.

    Veistu hvort er búðin opin?
    Veistu hvort búðin er opin?

    Inside a hvort-clause the subject comes before the verb: hvort búðin er opin.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

hvortLevel 3Whether (Hvort)

Learn This First

hvort builds on yes/no questions and subordinate order.

Words in This Pattern

hvort