Questions & Answers about Hann talar hraðar núna.
talar is the 3rd person singular present (he/she/it speaks) of tala “to speak.” Present forms of tala:
- ég tala — I speak
- þú talar — you speak (singular)
- hann/hún/það talar — he/she/it speaks
- við tölum — we speak (note the vowel change a → ö)
- þið talið — you speak (plural)
- þeir/þær/þau tala — they speak
So with hann (he), you must use talar.
It’s a comparative adverb meaning “faster,” modifying the verb talar.
- hratt = fast (positive adverb): Hann talar hratt.
- hraðar = faster (comparative adverb): Hann talar hraðar.
- hraðast = fastest (superlative adverb): Hann talar hraðast.
By contrast, hraður is an adjective (e.g., hraður bíll “a fast car”), and the comparative adjective is hraðari (e.g., Hann er hraðari “He is faster”).
No. Icelandic normally forms comparatives morphologically, not with meira (“more”) for words like this. Say hraðar, not “meira hratt.” You can intensify the comparative, though:
- miklu hraðar, mun hraðar, enn hraðar = much/considerably/even faster.
Icelandic main clauses are V2: the finite verb is in second position.
- Neutral: Hann talar hraðar núna.
- Also fine: Hann talar núna hraðar.
- If you front the time word, keep the verb second: Núna talar hann hraðar.
Adverbs like hraðar and núna typically come after the verb.
Place ekki after the finite verb:
- Hann talar ekki hraðar núna. If you front núna:
- Núna talar hann ekki hraðar.
Both mean “now,” and they’re interchangeable here:
- Hann talar hraðar núna.
- Hann talar hraðar nú. In general, núna is very common and neutral for “right now,” while nú can also be a discourse word (“Now, …”) or highlight a change of state. For “right now” emphasis you can also say akkúrat núna.
Use en for “than”:
- Hann talar hraðar en áður. = He speaks faster than before.
- Hann talar hraðar en ég. = … than I (standard/normative). Note: In casual speech you may hear object forms (e.g., en mig), but nominative after en is preferred in careful usage.
Yes. Vera að + infinitive marks an ongoing action:
- Hann talar hraðar núna. = general present (also used for actions happening now).
- Hann er að tala hraðar núna. = emphasizes that it’s happening right now.
They normally come right after the finite verb and before manner/time adverbs:
- Hann talar aldrei hratt.
- Hann talar oft hraðar en áður. If you front something else, keep V2: Núna talar hann oft hraðar.
- Stress the first syllable of each word.
- Hann: long n sound (like “han-n”).
- talar: initial t is strongly aspirated; roll the r.
- hraðar: the hr- is a voiceless r sound; ð is like the th in “this”; roll the final r. Roughly “RHA-thar.”
- núna: ú is long, like “oo” in “soon” (“NOO-na”).
- tala = to speak/talk; also “speak a language”: Hann talar íslensku.
- segja = to say/tell (a specific statement): Hann segir þetta. / Hann segir mér frá þessu.
Yes, via prepositions that take the accusative:
- tala við e-n = talk to someone (við + acc): Hann talar við mig.
- tala um e-ð = talk about something (um + acc): Hann talar um málið.
- hraðar uses ð (not d). ð never starts a word in Icelandic.
- núna has ú (long u-sound).
- Don’t confuse adverb hraðar (“faster”) with adjective forms like hraðari/hraðara.