Ég uppfæri símaforritið þegar ég kem heim.

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Breakdown of Ég uppfæri símaforritið þegar ég kem heim.

• þegar: when
• heim: home
• koma: to come

Questions & Answers about Ég uppfæri símaforritið þegar ég kem heim.

Why is ég used twice? Can I omit it the second time?

Icelandic normally includes the subject in each finite clause, so Ég … þegar ég … is very common and neutral: the main clause has its own subject (Ég uppfæri …) and the subordinate clause has its own subject (ég kem …).

• You can sometimes omit the second ég in very informal speech if it’s crystal clear, but in standard written Icelandic you normally keep it: … þegar ég kem heim.

What tense is uppfæri and how is it formed?

Uppfæri is present tense, 1st person singular of the verb að uppfæra (to update).

• Infinitive: uppfæra
• Present: ég uppfæri, þú uppfærir, hann/hún/það uppfærir, við uppfærum, þið uppfærið, þeir/þær/þau uppfæra It’s a regular -a verb pattern (with the 1st person singular ending -i).

Why does Icelandic use present tense in both parts (uppfæri, kem) even if it refers to the future?

Icelandic often uses the present tense for:

• habits/routines: I update … when I get home (as a usual thing)
• near future or scheduled actions: I’ll update … when I get home So þegar ég kem heim uses present tense even when English might use get for the future meaning.