To say what someone was doing at a specific time in the past, Icelandic uses the past continuous structure. Form this using the past tense of vera (to be), the particle að, and the infinitive of the main verb.
| Pronoun | Past Tense of vera |
|---|---|
| ég | var |
| þú | varst |
| hann / hún / það | var |
| við | vorum |
| þið | voruð |
| þeir / þær / þau | voru |
| Was the guard sleeping? | Var vörðurinn að sofa? |
| Were you hiding the thief? | Varst þú að fela þjófinn? |
To make a past continuous sentence negative, place ekki immediately after the conjugated form of vera, right before að.
| The guard was not watching the television. | Vörðurinn var ekki að horfa á sjónvarpið. |
When the subject is plural, conjugate vera accordingly. The main action verb after að always stays in the infinitive.
| We were talking about the crime. | Við vorum að tala um glæpinn. |
| Were you investigating the crime? | Voruð þið að rannsaka glæpinn? |
Note that the word for "the police" (lögreglan) is a grammatically singular noun. It takes the singular verb var, even though we say "the police were" in English.
| The police were examining the evidence. | Lögreglan var að skoða sönnunina. |
| The police were arresting the thief. | Lögreglan var að handtaka þjófinn. |
This structure is perfect for describing ongoing events, establishing an alibi, or making an accusation.
| The dog was chasing the thief. | Hundurinn var að elta þjófinn. |
| You were lying! | Þú varst að ljúga! |
| I was telling the truth. | Ég var að segja sannleikann. |
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