Continuing an action (halda áfram að)

To express that someone continues doing an action, Icelandic uses the phrase halda áfram að followed by a verb in the infinitive.

The farmer continues to harvest the field.
Bóndinn heldur áfram að uppskera akurinn.

In this construction, only the core verb halda (to hold) is conjugated to match the subject. The word áfram (onward) and the infinitive marker að (to) never change.

We continue to gather the hay into the barn.
Við höldum áfram að safna heyinu í hlöðuna.
The workers continue to cut the grain.
Verkamennirnir halda áfram að skera kornið.

Describing Ongoing Efforts

You can easily use this structure in longer sentences to describe the conditions around an ongoing action, such as farmers pressing on with the autumn harvest before the frost sets in.

The frost comes in two days, so the worker continues to gather the hay.
Frostið kemur eftir tvo daga, svo verkamaðurinn heldur áfram að safna heyinu.
The workday is long, but the farmer continues to harvest.
Vinnudagurinn er langur en bóndinn heldur áfram að uppskera.
The harvest will be much larger if you continue to work!
Uppskeran verður miklu stærri ef þið haldið áfram að vinna!
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