The Present Perfect Tense
To talk about past experiences, Icelandic uses the present perfect tense. Just like in English, this uses the auxiliary verb hafa (to have) followed by the main verb's supine (sagnbót) form.
Conjugating "hafa"
First, conjugate hafa to match the subject:
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| ég | hef |
| þú | hefur |
| hann/hún/það | hefur |
| við | höfum |
| þið | hafið |
| þau | hafa |
Forming the Supine for Group 1 Verbs
The supine form never changes based on the subject. For Group 1 verbs (regular verbs that take an -ar ending in the present tense), forming the supine is simple: just add -ð to the infinitive. The supine will always end in -að.
- kanna (to explore) becomes kannað
- safna (to collect) becomes safnað
- plana (to plan) becomes planað
| We have explored the world together. | Við höfum kannað heiminn saman. |
| She has collected souvenirs. | Hún hefur safnað minjagripum. |
| They have planned the trip. | Þau hafa planað ferðalagið. |
Asking Questions
To form a question, swap the subject and the conjugated verb hafa.
| Have you camped in Europe? | Hefur þú tjaldað í Evrópu? |
| Have you booked the hotel? | Hefur þú bókað hótelið? |
Discussing Travel Experiences
You can easily combine present perfect phrases with present or future tense phrases to contrast what you have already done with what you intend to do, or to describe places you have visited.
| I intend to explore the world, but I have only camped in Iceland. | Ég ætla að skoða heiminn en ég hef bara tjaldað á Íslandi. |
| I have explored Europe and the area is incredible. | Ég hef kannað Evrópu og svæðið er ótrúlegt. |
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