To talk about events in the past and state exactly how long ago they occurred, Icelandic uses a "sandwich" structure. You wrap the amount of time between the preposition fyrir and the word síðan.
Because the time phrase is governed by the preposition fyrir, it must be in the dative case.
- fyrir
- [dative time phrase] + síðan
Let's look at this structure in action with common time words like vikur (weeks) and mínútur (minutes), which become vikum and mínútum in the dative plural:
| We were digging three weeks ago. | Við vorum að grafa fyrir þremur vikum síðan. |
| Where was my shovel five minutes ago? | Hvar var skóflan mín fyrir fimm mínútum síðan? |
Digging Deeper into the Past
Whether you are searching for a recently misplaced tool or unearthing ancient history, this pattern stays exactly the same. Notice how it works with both singular phrases like "a long time" (langur tími → löngum tíma) and plural expressions of years (ár → árum):
| The fossil was in the sand a long time ago. | Steingervingurinn var í sandinum fyrir löngum tíma síðan. |
| This excavation was important five years ago. | Þessi uppgröftur var mikilvægur fyrir fimm árum síðan. |
| The archaeologist discovered the fossil in the soil ten years ago. | Fornleifafræðingurinn uppgötvaði steingervinginn í moldinni fyrir tíu árum síðan. |
This versatile structure is your key to placing any event, discovery, or excavation on a timeline!
