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Questions & Answers about Hún hefur áhyggjur af prófinu.
Why is it using hefur (has) instead of a form of vera (to be)?
Icelandic expresses this idea with the idiom að hafa áhyggjur (to have worries), so you say Hún hefur áhyggjur rather than using vera. Here hefur is simply the present tense of hafa; it is not a perfect tense because there is no past participle present. Literally it’s closer to English She has worries about the exam, but the natural translation is She is worried about the exam.
Why is áhyggjur plural?
The noun áhyggjur is practically used in the plural to mean worries/concerns. You will very often see it in set phrases like hafa áhyggjur, vera með áhyggjur, and engar áhyggjur! (no worries).
What case is áhyggjur in here?
It’s accusative plural as the direct object of hafa. For this noun class, nominative and accusative plural look the same (áhyggjur), which is why you don’t see a separate ending.
Why is the preposition af used and not um?
With áhyggjur, the idiomatic preposition is af: hafa áhyggjur af e-u (be worried about something). Using um here sounds non‑idiomatic. If you want a more explicit cause, you can also say vegna + genitive (due to) or út af + dative (because of), e.g., vegna prófsins, út af prófinu.
What case does af take?
Af governs the dative, so the noun after it must be in dative case. That’s why we get af prófinu (dative singular definite of próf), not af prófið.
Why is it prófinu and not prófið?
Because af requires the dative. The noun próf is neuter; its definite singular forms include nominative/accusative prófið but dative prófinu. So after af, the correct definite form is prófinu.
How would I say “about the exams” in the plural?
Use dative plural: af prófunum (definite) or af prófum (indefinite). So: Hún hefur áhyggjur af prófunum = She is worried about the exams.
Can I make it indefinite, like “about an exam”?
Yes. Use the dative singular indefinite: af prófi. For example: Hún hefur áhyggjur af prófi (She is worried about an exam).
Are there alternative ways to say the same thing?
Yes:
- Hún er áhyggjufull (She is worried/anxious), optionally with a cause: vegna prófsins or út af prófinu.
- Hún kvíðir prófinu (She dreads/is anxious about the exam); kvíða governs the dative.
- Colloquial: Hún er stressuð (út af prófinu) (She is stressed [because of the exam]).
Can I use a clause after áhyggjur?
Yes. Use af því að to introduce a clause: Hún hefur áhyggjur af því að hún falli á prófinu (She is worried that she will fail the exam). You can also use other complementizers, e.g., af því hvernig prófið fari (…how the exam will go).
Is there a common colloquial variant with vera með?
Yes. Vera með + noun is very common in everyday speech: Hún er með áhyggjur af prófinu ≈ She is worried about the exam. Both hafa áhyggjur and vera með áhyggjur are widely used.
Can the word order change?
Neutral order is as given: Hún hefur áhyggjur af prófinu. For emphasis, you can topicalize: Af prófinu hefur hún áhyggjur, putting focus on the cause. The meaning remains the same; the emphasis changes.
How do I negate it or say “no worries”?
Negation: Hún hefur ekki áhyggjur af prófinu (She isn’t worried about the exam). With a negative quantity: Hún hefur engar áhyggjur af prófinu. As a set reassurance: Engar áhyggjur!
How is the sentence pronounced?
Approximate IPA: (Hún) [huːn], (hefur) [ˈhɛːvʏr], (áhyggjur) [ˈauˌhɪcːʏr], (af) [av], (prófinu) [ˈprouːvɪnʏ]. A rough guide: Hoon HEH-vur OW-hig-yur av PROH-vi-nuh. Note the palatal sound in áhyggjur (the ggj cluster) and that f in prófinu is pronounced like a v between vowels.