Predicting the Future with "koma til með að"
In Icelandic, the present tense is frequently used to talk about the future. However, when you want to make a formal prediction about something that is bound or expected to happen, you can use the phrase koma til með að.
| will (prediction) | koma til með að |
To use this structure, conjugate the verb koma to match the subject, follow it with the fixed phrase til með að, and then add the main verb in its infinitive form.
| The climate is going to change more. | Loftslagið kemur til með að breytast meira. |
Notice how the verb koma is conjugated as kemur to match the singular noun loftslagið (the climate). The main verb breytast (to change) stays in the infinitive at the end of the phrase.
Discussing the Environment
This multi-word future structure is especially common in formal contexts, such as discussing climate, science, or societal shifts.
| The warming is going to raise the sea level. | Hlýnunin kemur til með að hækka sjávarmálið. |
You can also use this predictive structure in relative clauses. The phrase koma til með að simply follows the relative pronoun sem (that/which).
| The pollution is the threat that humanity will solve. | Mengunin er ógnin sem mannkynið kemur til með að leysa. |
When the subject is plural (like við - we), koma takes its plural form (komum).
| We will hear something about this threat. | Við komum til með að heyra eitthvað um þessa ógn. |
| This renewable energy source is going to help us. | Þessi endurnýjanlegi orkugjafi kemur til með að hjálpa okkur. |
Questions and Word Order
To turn a prediction into a yes/no question, invert the subject and the conjugated verb koma, just as you would with any other verb in Icelandic. The phrase til með að stays directly after the subject.
| Is the climate going to improve soon? | Kemur loftslagið til með að batna bráðum? |
If you use a question word like hvernig (how), it goes at the very beginning of the sentence, followed immediately by the conjugated koma.
| How will humanity save the climate? | Hvernig kemur mannkynið til með að bjarga loftslaginu? |