Witnessing the Action
When witnessing an ongoing action, English uses an "-ing" verb ("I see the informant waiting"). Icelandic handles this differently. To describe an event you are witnessing as it unfolds, use a perception verb (like seeing or hearing) followed by a question word and a standard present-tense sentence.
The most common question word for this is hvar (where). Think of it as literally saying "I see where the informant waits."
| The eyewitness sees the informant waiting in the hiding place. | Sjónarvotturinn sér hvar upplýsingagjafinn bíður í fylgsninu. |
| During the pursuit, we see the criminal gang stopping the car. | Í eftirförinni sjáum við hvar glæpagengið stoppar bílinn. |
To focus on the manner or process of the action, swap hvar for hvernig (how).
| I manage to see the man handing over the secret merchandise. | Mér tekst að sjá hvernig maðurinn afhendir leynilega varninginn. |
| You hear the conspirator discussing the dubious business. | Þú heyrir hvernig samsærismaðurinn ræðir um vafasömu viðskiptin. |
These perception clauses work beautifully for any action you are actively observing, and set the scene perfectly for catching someone glóðvolgur (literally "glowing warm," meaning red-handed):
| The detective sees him hiding the weapon and catches him red-handed. | Spæjarinn sér hvar hann felur vopnið og grípur hann glóðvolgan. |
You can pair these clauses with other observation verbs as well, such as að fylgjast með (to monitor).
| From the hiding place, I monitor the informant helping his criminal gang. | Úr fylgsninu fylgist ég með hvernig upplýsingagjafinn hjálpar glæpagenginu sínu. |
You can even combine multiple perception clauses in a single sentence to report exactly what you are—or aren't—witnessing:
| We see neither the conspirator fleeing nor the informant disappearing. | Við sjáum hvorki hvar samsærismaðurinn flýr né hvernig upplýsingagjafinn hverfur. |