Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Hann þarf að hugsa áður en hann segir eitthvað. - He needs to think before he says something.

Hann þarf að hugsa = He needs to think / He has to think.
It often behaves like a modal verb, similar to English need to or have to.
It can be fairly strong, close to must, but context decides:
- Hann þarf að hugsa – more neutral: He needs to think.
- For a very strong obligation, Icelandic might use verður að (must, is obliged to).

So þarf → internal or practical necessity; verður að → stronger, more external obligation.

Why do we have að before hugsa, but not before segir?

Að in þarf að hugsa is the infinitive marker, similar to English to:

hugsa alone = to think (dictionary form)
að hugsa = to think as an infinitive after verbs like þarf, getur, vill etc.

The verb segir is not an infinitive. It’s a finite verb (3rd person singular present) in a full clause:

… áður en hann segir eitthvað = … before he says anything.

You only use að:

before an infinitive verb: að hugsa, að tala
or as a conjunction in certain other structures, but not here, because áður en already introduces the clause with hann segir.

Why is hann repeated: “Hann þarf … áður en hann segir eitthvað”? Can I drop the second hann?

In Icelandic you normally repeat the subject in a new clause, even if it’s the same person:

Hann þarf að hugsa áður en hann segir eitthvað.

Leaving out the second hann:

✗ Hann þarf að hugsa áður en segir eitthvað.

sounds ungrammatical in standard Icelandic. Icelandic is not a “pro-drop” language like Spanish or Italian; pronouns are usually not omitted.

So: yes, you have to say hann again in the second clause.

What’s the difference between áður and áður en?

áður on its own is an adverb meaning before, earlier:
- Hann fór áður. – He left earlier / before.
áður en is a conjunction phrase meaning before (something happens). It must be followed by a full clause (with a subject and a finite verb):
- áður en hann segir eitthvað – before he says anything
- áður en þú ferð – before you go

So in your sentence you need áður en, because what follows is a clause, not just a noun or a single word.

Why is it segir and not að segja in the second part?

Because segir is the correctly conjugated form of the verb að segja (to say) for he/she/it in the present tense:

Infinitive: að segja
3rd person singular present: hann segir

In … áður en hann segir eitthvað, you need a finite verb (a conjugated verb form), not an infinitive. Using the infinitive here would be wrong:

✗ áður en hann að segja eitthvað – incorrect
✓ áður en hann segir eitthvað – correct

Why is the verb segir in the present tense, even though this can refer to the future in English?

Icelandic often uses the present tense in subordinate time clauses (introduced by áður en, þegar, ef, etc.) to talk about future events:

Hann þarf að hugsa áður en hann segir eitthvað.
Literally: He needs to think before he says something.
Meaning: … before he will say anything.

You would not normally say:

✗ áður en hann mun segja eitthvað

The simple present segir covers both before he says and before he will say in this kind of temporal clause.

Can I change the word order and put the “before”-clause first?

Yes. You can say:

Áður en hann segir eitthvað þarf hann að hugsa.

Meaning is the same; only emphasis changes slightly (you highlight the condition “before he says anything”).

Note that:

The subordinate clause (Áður en hann segir eitthvað) comes first.
The finite verb of the main clause (þarf) still comes in second position in its own clause:
- … þarf hann að hugsa, not ✗… hann þarf að hugsa when the subclause is fronted as a whole “topic”.

Both orders are grammatically correct.

What does eitthvað mean exactly? Is it “something” or “anything”?

Eitthvað can mean both something and anything in English, depending on context. Here:

… áður en hann segir eitthvað.
= … before he says anything (or something).

General tendencies:

In affirmative sentences, it often corresponds to something:
- Hann sagði eitthvað. – He said something.
In questions and many negative or “uncertain” contexts, it can match anything:
- Sagðirðu eitthvað? – Did you say anything?

It’s an indefinite pronoun, neuter, and doesn’t change form for case in the singular nominative/accusative.

What is the difference between hugsa and hugsa um?

hugsa on its own often means just “to think” (use your mind, reflect):
- Hann þarf að hugsa. – He needs to think.
hugsa um + accusative means “to think about (something/someone)”:
- Hann þarf að hugsa um vandamálið. – He needs to think about the problem.
- Ég hugsa oft um þig. – I often think about you.

In your sentence, the idea is general “thinking first”, so hugsa without um is correct.

How is þarf conjugated, and why isn’t there any ending like “-ur” on it?

The infinitive is að þurfa. Its present tense is irregular:

ég þarf – I need
þú þarft – you need
hann / hún / það þarf – he / she / it needs
við þurfum – we need
þið þurfið – you (pl.) need
þeir / þær / þau þurfa – they need

So for hann, the correct form is þarf (no extra ending):

Hann þarf að hugsa…

It’s just how this verb is irregularly formed; it doesn’t follow the common -ar / -ir / -ur pattern.

Can I split að and hugsa, or must they stay together?

They must stay together as að hugsa. You cannot place other elements between að and its verb:

✓ Hann þarf að hugsa áður en hann segir eitthvað.
✗ Hann þarf að áður en hann segir eitthvað hugsa.

Subordinate clauses like áður en hann segir eitthvað come before or after the whole infinitive phrase að hugsa, but they don’t go inside it.