Indirect yes-or-no questions (hvort)

When you want to express uncertainty, check a fact, or ask an indirect yes-or-no question, use the subordinating conjunction hvort (whether).

Word order in indirect questions

A direct yes/no question begins with a verb. However, when you embed that question into another sentence using hvort, the new subordinate clause uses standard declarative word order (Subject + Verb).

I am not sure whether he is coming.
Ég er ekki viss hvort hann kemur.
I am going to check whether the shop is open.
Ég ætla að athuga hvort búðin er opin.

Expressing doubts and evaluating facts

You will frequently use hvort to discuss uncertainty, facts, or rumors. In these cases, it acts as a bridge between a statement of doubt and the claim you are evaluating.

The doubt is whether it is true.
Vafinn er hvort það er satt.
We ask whether the explanation is good.
Við spyrjum hvort skýringin er góð.

Prepositions before 'hvort'

In Icelandic, if a verb strongly pairs with a specific preposition, that preposition is kept in the sentence and placed directly before hvort. For example, the verb giska (to guess) is usually paired with the preposition á.

We guess whether it rains today.
Við giskum á hvort það rignir í dag.