Questions & Answers about Ég hef fylgt þessari áætlun í viku.
What tense and aspect is expressed by hef fylgt in Ég hef fylgt þessari áætlun í viku?
It’s the present perfect (the Icelandic perfekt). You form it with the auxiliary hef (“have”) + the past participle fylgt (“followed”). It indicates that you began following the plan in the past and continue doing so (or that the result still matters now).
Why hef fylgt and not er að fylgja?
Hef fylgt expresses the perfect aspect (something done over a period up to now or completed with present relevance). Er að fylgja is the present continuous (“am following”) and highlights an action happening at this very moment. If you want both perfect and continuous you can say:
- Ég hef verið að fylgja þessari áætlun í viku.
Why is þessi áætlun in the form þessari áætlun?
The verb fylgja requires its object in the dative case. Áætlun is a feminine noun, so the demonstrative þessi (this) takes the dative feminine singular ending, giving þessari áætlun.
Why is the preposition í used with viku, and what does it indicate?
When í is used with a time span in Icelandic, it denotes duration: í viku = “for a week.” Grammatically, you use + the accusative (here —identical to the dative form) to express how long something lasts.