Extended Time Durations
To describe an action continuing for a long, uninterrupted stretch of time, Icelandic uses a phrase meaning "for [X] on end."
Pair a unit of time in the dative plural with the postposition saman. While saman usually means "together," here it means "consecutively" or "on end."
Here are common time words in their dative plural forms:
- klukkutímum (hours)
- dögum (days)
- vikum (weeks)
- mánuðum (months)
- árum (years)
| We stayed in the monastery for weeks on end. | Við dvöldum í klaustrinu vikum saman. |
| The monk sits and meditates for hours on end. | Munkurinn situr og hugleiðir klukkutímum saman. |
Disconnecting and Solitude
A retreat often involves experiencing deep silence (þögnin) and solitude (einveran). The verb aftengjast (to disconnect) takes a dative object, like heiminum (the world). You can easily pair these concepts with the extended duration structure.
| You can disconnect from the world for days on end. | Þú getur aftengst heiminum dögum saman. |
| They experience the silence for months on end. | Þau upplifa þögnina mánuðum saman. |
The Spiritual Journey
Adjectives like andlegur (spiritual) and endurnærður (refreshed) describe the retreat experience.
| The solitude is a spiritual journey. | Einveran er andleg ferð. |
| I came home refreshed and started to meditate. | Ég kom endurnærður heim og byrjaði að hugleiða. |
We can bring these elements together to describe a dedication to a spiritual life over an extended period:
| The spiritual teacher disconnects from the world in the monastery for years on end. | Andlegi kennarinn aftengist heiminum í klaustrinu árum saman. |