Breakdown of Ef sólin skín, þá förum við á ströndina.
við
we
fara
to go
á
to
ef
if
sólin
the sun
skína
to shine
þá
then
ströndin
the beach
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Questions & Answers about Ef sólin skín, þá förum við á ströndina.
What does Ef mean and how is it used?
Ef is the Icelandic conjunction meaning if. It introduces a conditional subordinate clause (the “if” part of an “if … then …” sentence).
Why is þá used in the main clause, and can it be omitted?
Þá corresponds to English then, marking the result clause. It’s not strictly mandatory—without þá the sentence remains grammatically correct—but it makes the connection between the condition and the outcome clearer.
Why does the verb förum come before the subject við?
Icelandic main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position. Here þá is the first element, so förum (the verb “go”) comes next, and then the subject við (“we”).
Which case is ströndina in, and why?
Ströndina is the definite accusative form of ströndin. The accusative case indicates motion toward a place (“to the beach”), and the definite form (the –ina ending) means the beach rather than any beach.
Which case does the preposition á govern here?
In contexts of motion (going onto or to something), á governs the accusative case. If you were describing being on the beach (location), you would use the dative: á ströndinni.
Why doesn’t the subordinate clause Ef sólin skín invert word order like the main clause?
Subordinate clauses in Icelandic do not follow the V2 rule. They have a fixed subject–verb–object (SVO) order, so you say Ef sólin skín (“If the sun shines”) rather than flipping it.
What tense and mood is skín in?
Skín is the present indicative form of að skína (“to shine”). It expresses a real or possible action, not an unreal or hypothetical one.
How would you express a hypothetical condition, as in “If the sun were shining, we would go to the beach”?
You use the conditional (subjunctive) structures. For example:
- Ef sólin væri að skína, myndum við fara á ströndina.
Here væri að skína and myndum signal an unreal or imagined scenario.