Breakdown of Þegar afmælisbarnið kemur, segjum við: „Til hamingju!“
Questions & Answers about Þegar afmælisbarnið kemur, segjum við: „Til hamingju!“
Þegar means when (sometimes closer to whenever/once depending on context). It introduces a subordinate (dependent) clause: Þegar afmælisbarnið kemur.
In Icelandic, subordinate clauses typically keep normal subject–verb order (subject before verb), which is exactly what you see: afmælisbarnið (subject) + kemur (verb).
It’s the standard punctuation rule: when a subordinate clause (introduced by þegar, ef, því að, etc.) comes first, it’s usually followed by a comma before the main clause.
So: Þegar … kemur, segjum við …
Because Icelandic follows a verb-second (V2) pattern in main clauses: the finite verb tends to be the second “unit” in the sentence.
When you start the sentence with an adverbial/subordinate clause (Þegar afmælisbarnið kemur), that whole part counts as the first unit, so the verb comes next:
- Þegar afmælisbarnið kemur, segjum við …
If the sentence began directly with the subject, you’d get: - Við segjum: …