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Hann vill fara austur.

Hann vill fara austur.
He wants to go east.
FromLesson 11inHardcore Icelandic
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Breakdown of Hann vill fara austur.

vilja
to want
fara
to go
hann
he
austur
east

Questions & Answers about Hann vill fara austur.

What does the word hann mean in this sentence?
Hann is the 3rd person singular masculine pronoun in the nominative case, meaning he.
Why is vill spelled with double l?

Vill is the 3rd person singular present of the irregular verb vilja (“to want”). The full present‐tense conjugation is:
• ég vil
• þú vilt
• hann vill
• við viljum
• þið viljið
• þeir vilja

Why is fara in the infinitive form?
After a modal verb like vilja, the following verb appears in its bare infinitive form (no að), so you say vill fara rather than vill að fara.
What role does austur play here, and why isn’t there a preposition in front of it?

Here austur is a directional adverb meaning “eastward.” In Icelandic, the four cardinal directions—norður, suður, vestur, austur—can stand alone without prepositions when indicating movement:
• fara norður
• fara suður
• fara vestur
• fara austur

Could austur be declined like an adjective or noun?
Not in this use. As a directional adverb it’s invariable. You will see other forms (e.g. austri, austurs) when it functions as a noun or in certain idioms, but not after fara.
How does the word order in Hann vill fara austur obey Icelandic sentence structure?

Icelandic main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in the second position. In Hann vill fara austur you have:

  1. Subject (Hann)
  2. Finite verb (vill)
  3. The rest (fara austur)
Can you change the word order to emphasize the direction?

Yes. By fronting the adverb you emphasize it:
Austur vill hann fara.

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