Comparing Actions (heldur en)
When you want to express a preference for doing one activity over another, Icelandic uses the phrase heldur en (rather than). This is most frequently paired with the adverb frekar (rather) in the first half of the sentence.
When comparing two infinitive verbs, you must include the infinitive marker að before the second verb:
[Verb 1] + heldur en að + [Verb 2]
| I would rather hang up the laundry than use the dryer. | Ég vil frekar hengja upp þvottinn heldur en að nota þurrkarann. |
| She would rather fold the clothes than iron them. | Hún vill frekar brjóta saman fötin heldur en að strauja þau. |
Using Other Comparatives
You do not always have to use frekar. You can also use heldur en to compare actions after a comparative adjective, such as öruggara (safer) or betra (better).
| It is safer to sort the laundry rather than to let the new clothes bleed color. | Það er öruggara að flokka þvottinn heldur en að láta nýju fötin lita af sér. |
Comparing Quantities
While we have looked at comparing two actions, heldur en can also be used to simply compare noun phrases or quantities. When the verb is the same for both halves of the comparison, you do not need to repeat it or use að.
For example, when measuring fabric softener (mýkingarefni):
| I would rather use a little fabric softener than too much. | Ég nota frekar lítið af mýkingarefni heldur en of mikið. |
Laundry and Clothing Care
Let's apply these preference structures to a few more everyday clothing care scenarios, such as dealing with clothes that might shrink (skreppa saman) or deciding what to do with wrinkled (krumpaður) garments.
| She would rather hand-wash the coat than let it shrink in the washing machine. | Hún vill frekar handþvo kápuna heldur en að láta hana skreppa saman í þvottavélinni. |
| The shirt is wrinkled, so I would rather iron it than go to sleep. | Skyrtan er krumpuð, svo ég vil frekar strauja hana heldur en að fara að sofa. |
