Conjunctions are the small words that glue clauses together, and in Icelandic they fall into two camps that behave completely differently — not just in meaning, but in word order. This is the single most important thing to learn about them. A coordinating conjunction (og, en, eða) joins two equals and changes nothing: each clause keeps its normal main-clause order. A subordinating conjunction (að, ef, þegar) opens a dependent clause that runs on a different word-order template. Knowing which type a linker is lets you predict where the verb goes — which is why this distinction is the gateway to the whole of Icelandic clause syntax. This page orients you; the detailed mechanics live on the linked pages.
Two jobs, two behaviours
A coordinating conjunction connects things of equal rank — two main clauses, two nouns, two adjectives. Neither half depends on the other; you could, in principle, say each on its own. A subordinating conjunction does something asymmetric: it embeds one clause inside another, marking it as dependent — a reason, a condition, a time, a that-clause. The embedded clause cannot stand alone.
| Type | Common members | Joins | Word-order effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinating | og, en, eða, né | equals | none — each clause keeps its order |
| Subordinating | að, ef, þegar, af því að, þótt, meðan | main + dependent | shifts the order of the embedded clause |
Coordination keeps the order untouched
When og ("and"), en ("but"), or eða ("or") link two main clauses, each clause keeps its own main-clause order. Icelandic main clauses obey V2 (the finite verb is the second element), and coordination doesn't disturb that — the conjunction simply sits between two complete clauses, outside both. So in Ég kom og ég sá, both halves have the plain subject–verb order; nothing inverts.
Ég kom og ég sá.
I came and I saw. Two full main clauses joined by og; each keeps its normal order.
Hún er þreytt en hún heldur áfram.
She's tired but she keeps going. en links two equals; both clauses unchanged.
Viltu te eða kaffi?
Do you want tea or coffee? eða linking two nouns — no clause effect at all.
Subordination shifts the order
This is the insight competitors bury. When a subordinating conjunction opens a clause, that clause runs on a different template. The key visible symptom: the sentence adverb or "ekki" comes before the finite verb, where in a main clause it would come after. Compare the same content as a standalone statement and as an embedded clause:
- Main clause: Hann *kemur ekki. — "He isn't coming." (verb *kemur, then ekki)
- Embedded: Ég veit að hann *kemur. / negated: Ég veit að hann ekki kemur* is the marked literary order; the everyday order is Ég veit að hann kemur ekki, but the diagnostic shift is clearest with sentence adverbs.
The cleanest demonstration uses a sentence adverb like aldrei ("never") or oft ("often"): in the subordinate clause it slides in front of the verb.
Ég veit að hann kemur.
I know that he's coming. The subordinator 'að' opens the embedded clause.
Þegar hann kemur, förum við.
When he comes, we'll go. The whole 'þegar' clause is one unit; then the main clause inverts (förum við).
Ég held að hún komi aldrei á réttum tíma.
I don't think she ever comes on time. In the embedded clause the adverb sits with the verb cluster, not in the main-clause slot.
Notice the second example especially: the subordinate clause Þegar hann kemur fills the first position of the whole sentence, so the main clause's verb must come next — förum við, inverted. The subordinator both reorders its own clause and counts as a single fronted constituent for the main clause's V2. That double effect is why this distinction is so structurally central.
Why this is the gateway to clause syntax
Most learners memorise conjunctions as vocabulary — "að = that, ef = if." But the type of a conjunction is a syntactic switch: it tells you, before you've even built the clause, whether the verb will sit in second position (coordination, V2 preserved) or be governed by the subordinate template. Once you sort every linker into coordinating or subordinating, Icelandic word order stops feeling random. You don't memorise word order clause by clause; you read it off the conjunction.
Ég ætlaði að hringja en ég gleymdi því.
I meant to call but I forgot. en = coordinating → both clauses keep their order.
Ég hringdi ekki af því að ég gleymdi því.
I didn't call because I forgot. af því að = subordinating → it opens a dependent reason-clause.
A trap: "en" the conjunction vs "en" the comparative
One homograph causes constant confusion. en is both the coordinating conjunction "but" and the comparative particle "than." Context disambiguates: after a comparative adjective (stærri, betra, meira), en means "than"; between two clauses or contrasting elements, it means "but."
Þetta er minna en gott.
This is less than good. After the comparative minna, en = 'than'.
Það er lítið, en það er gott.
It's small, but it's good. Between two clauses, en = 'but'.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ég veit að hann ekki kemur.
Marked/literary order — the neutral everyday subordinate clause keeps the verb adjacent.
✅ Ég veit að hann kemur ekki.
I know that he isn't coming. The natural modern order.
❌ Þegar hann kemur, við förum.
Incorrect — the subordinate clause is the fronted constituent, so the main verb must come next: förum við.
✅ Þegar hann kemur, förum við.
When he comes, we'll go. Main-clause inversion after a fronted clause.
❌ Þetta er stærra en (meaning 'but').
Confusing the two 'en's — after a comparative, en means 'than', not 'but'.
✅ Þetta er stærra, en það er dýrara.
This is bigger, but it's more expensive. Comparative 'stærra' takes 'than'-en separately; the second en is the 'but' conjunction.
❌ Treating 'af því að' like 'og' and leaving the clause unchanged.
af því að is subordinating — it opens a dependent clause, unlike the coordinating og.
✅ Ég fór heim af því að ég var þreyttur.
I went home because I was tired. af því að subordinates the reason-clause.
Key Takeaways
- Conjunctions split into coordinating (og, en, eða, né) and subordinating (að, ef, þegar, af því að) — and the split is syntactic, not just semantic.
- Coordinating linkers join equals and leave word order untouched: each main clause keeps V2 (Ég kom og ég sá).
- Subordinating linkers open a dependent clause on a different template, where the sentence adverb / ekki shifts forward.
- A subordinate clause in front position counts as one constituent, so the main clause then inverts: Þegar hann kemur, förum við.
- Sorting every linker into one of the two types lets you predict the verb's position — the foundation of Icelandic clause syntax.
- Watch the homograph en: "but" (conjunction) vs "than" (after a comparative).
Now practice Icelandic
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Start learning Icelandic→Related Topics
- Coordinating Conjunctions: og, en, eða, néA2 — The conjunctions that link equals without disturbing word order — og (and), en (but), eða (or), né (nor), and the crucial heldur ('but rather') that obligatorily continues a negation (ekki X heldur Y), plus the correlative pairs bæði...og, hvorki...né, annaðhvort...eða.