Breakdown of Hún þorir að tala íslensku við hvern sem er.
Questions & Answers about Hún þorir að tala íslensku við hvern sem er.
What does þorir mean here, and what is the basic form of the verb?
Þorir is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb að þora, which means to dare.
So:
- að þora = to dare
- hún þorir = she dares
In this sentence, it has the sense of having the courage/confidence to do something.
Examples:
- Ég þori ekki. = I don’t dare.
- Hann þorir að spyrja. = He dares to ask.
Why is there an að before tala?
Here að is the infinitive marker, like English to in to speak.
So:
- að tala = to speak
After þora, Icelandic normally uses að + infinitive:
- þora að tala = dare to speak
- þora að fara = dare to go
This að is not the same as the preposition að meaning to/toward in other contexts.
Why is it íslensku and not íslenska?
Because the verb tala usually takes the language in the accusative case.
The language name is íslenska in the nominative, but after tala it becomes íslensku:
- íslenska = Icelandic (nominative form)
- tala íslensku = speak Icelandic
This is very common with language names in Icelandic:
- tala ensku = speak English
- tala dönsku = speak Danish
- tala þýsku = speak German
So íslensku is not a different word; it is the correct case form here.
Why is there no word for in before Icelandic, like in English speak in Icelandic?
Because Icelandic usually says simply tala íslensku = speak Icelandic.
English can say either:
- speak Icelandic
- speak in Icelandic
But Icelandic normally uses the direct object structure without a preposition:
- tala íslensku
So the language is treated more like the thing being spoken.
What does við mean here?
Here við means with, in the sense of speaking with / talking to someone.
So:
- tala við einhvern = speak with someone / talk to someone
In this sentence:
- við hvern sem er = with anyone
Be careful: við can mean different things in Icelandic in other contexts, but with tala it commonly means with/to.
Why is it hvern and not hver?
Because við takes the accusative case, and the accusative form of hver (who) is hvern in the masculine singular.
So:
- hver = who (nominative)
- hvern = whom / who (accusative)
Since the phrase is governed by við, it becomes:
- við hvern ... = with whom / with who ...
Even though English usually just says who, Icelandic still shows the case clearly.
What does hvern sem er mean as a whole?
Hvern sem er means anyone, whoever, or more literally any person at all.
It is a common Icelandic pattern:
- hver sem er = anyone / whoever
- hvern sem er = anyone (in the accusative, as required here)
So:
- við hvern sem er = with anyone at all
The phrase gives a strong sense of no matter who the person is.
What is the role of sem er in hvern sem er?
In this expression, sem er helps create the meaning whoever / anyone at all.
Literally, it can feel something like:
- hvern sem er = whom(soever) it is
But you should think of it as a fixed pattern rather than translating each word too mechanically.
Similar patterns are very common:
- hvað sem er = anything
- hvar sem er = anywhere
- hvenær sem er = anytime
So hvern sem er is best learned as a set phrase meaning anyone.
Why does the sentence start with Hún? Is that just she?
Yes. Hún is the pronoun she.
So the sentence begins very straightforwardly:
- Hún = she
This tells you the subject is feminine. In context, it refers to a female person or a grammatically feminine referent.
The basic sentence structure is:
- Hún = subject
- þorir = verb
- að tala íslensku = infinitive phrase
- við hvern sem er = prepositional phrase
Is tala við more like talk to or talk with?
It can correspond to both, depending on context.
- tala við einhvern can mean talk to someone
- It can also mean talk with someone
In this sentence, English might naturally say either:
- She dares to speak Icelandic with anyone
- She dares to speak Icelandic to anyone
The exact English choice depends on the context, but the Icelandic structure is normal either way.
Does this sentence mean she is able to speak Icelandic with anyone, or that she is brave/confident enough to do it?
It mainly means she is brave enough / confident enough / willing enough to do it, not just that she is able.
That is the key idea of þora.
Compare:
- Hún getur talað íslensku. = She can speak Icelandic.
This is about ability. - Hún þorir að tala íslensku. = She dares to speak Icelandic.
This is about courage or confidence.
So in your sentence, the idea is that she is not afraid or shy about speaking Icelandic, even with strangers or just anyone.
Is the word order especially important here?
The sentence has a very normal and natural word order:
- Hún
- þorir
- að tala íslensku
- við hvern sem er
That is basically:
- Subject + finite verb + infinitive phrase + prepositional phrase
You could move parts around for emphasis in some contexts, but this version is the most neutral and natural for a learner to remember.
Could I translate við hvern sem er literally as with whoever?
You could, but it may sound slightly awkward in natural English depending on the sentence.
A more natural translation is usually:
- with anyone
- to anyone
A more literal translation is:
- with whoever
So a good way to think of it is:
- literal structure: with whoever
- natural meaning: with anyone
Both help you understand the Icelandic, but the second is usually better for everyday translation.
More from this lesson
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning IcelandicMaster Icelandic — from Hún þorir að tala íslensku við hvern sem er to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions