Flugið fer klukkan sjö.

The flight leaves at seven o’clock.

Breakdown of Flugið fer klukkan sjö.

• fara: to go
• klukka: the clock
• sjö: seven
• flugið: the flight

Questions & Answers about Flugið fer klukkan sjö.

What does Flugið mean, and why does it end in –ið?

Flugið means “the flight.” The base noun is flug (“flight”), which is neuter. In Icelandic, the definite article for neuter singular nouns is a suffix –ið, so flug + ið = flugið (“the flight”).

Why is fer used here instead of something like “leitar” or “flýgur”?

fer is the 3rd person singular present form of the irregular verb fara, which literally means “to go.” In schedules or timetables, fara/fer is the standard verb to say “leaves” or “departs.” So Flugið fer = “The flight departs.”

Why is there no preposition equivalent to English “at” before the time?

Icelandic expresses exact clock times by placing klukkan plus a number directly—no preposition needed. So instead of saying “at seven,” you simply say klukkan sjö, which literally is “the clock seven” but functions as “at seven o’clock.”

What exactly is klukkan, and how do I form other times?

klukkan is the definite form of klukka (“clock/time”). When telling exact hours you always use:
 klukkan eitt (1:00)
 klukkan tvö (2:00)
 …
 klukkan sjö (7:00)
You just swap out the numeral.

Is klukkan sjö in a special grammatical case?

Yes. Time expressions without a preposition take the accusative case in Icelandic. In many feminine nouns the nominative and accusative singular can look identical when definite, so klukkan serves as the accusative definite form here. It’s best to learn klukkan + numeral as a fixed pattern.

Can I put the time first to emphasize it? For example, “At seven o’clock the flight departs.”

Absolutely. Icelandic follows the V2 (verb-second) word order rule. If you front the time expression, the verb still stays in slot two:
 Klukkan sjö fer flugið.
This means “At seven o’clock, the flight departs.”

How would I ask “When does the flight leave?” in Icelandic?

You would say Hvenær fer flugið?

• Hvenær = “when”
• fer = “does … depart”
• flugið = “the flight”

If I wanted to say “The flight departs at 7:15,” how would I extend it?

You can say Flugið fer klukkan sjö og fimmtán (“The flight departs at seven and fifteen”), or more fully Flugið fer klukkan sjö og fimmtán mínútur. In announcements you might also see kl. 7:15 (abbreviation).