Adverb Placement in the Present Perfect
When using the present perfect tense, you will often want to include adverbs like alltaf (always), aldrei (never), or the negation ekki (not).
In a standard statement, these adverbs are placed immediately after the conjugated auxiliary verb (hafa) and before the main verb's supine form.
| I have always traveled abroad. | Ég hef alltaf ferðast erlendis. |
| The teacher has not traveled abroad. | Kennarinn hefur ekki ferðast erlendis. |
| We have never experienced this before. | Við höfum aldrei upplifað þetta áður. |
Saying "Not Yet"
To specify that something has not happened yet, Icelandic uses the word ennþá.
| yet | ennþá |
When clarifying what hasn't been done yet, ennþá pairs with ekki to form the phrase ennþá ekki (still not / not yet). This phrase occupies the usual adverb position in the sentence, sitting directly after the conjugated auxiliary verb.
| Two boys have not tried the game yet. | Tveir strákar hafa ennþá ekki prófað leikinn. |
| The girl has not seen the northern lights yet. | Stelpan hefur ennþá ekki séð norðurljósin. |
Questions with Adverbs
When asking a question in the present perfect, the auxiliary verb and the subject swap places. If the question includes an adverb like aldrei or alltaf, place the adverb immediately after the subject.
| Have you never seen the northern lights? | Hefur þú aldrei séð norðurljósin? |
| Has the family always lived here? | Hefur fjölskyldan alltaf búið hérna? |
Compound Sentences
When connecting two clauses with conjunctions like og (and), en (but), or eða (or), each clause maintains its own standard word order. The adverb simply continues to follow the conjugated verb in its respective clause.
| I have not climbed the mountain, but I have always loved the adventure. | Ég hef ekki klifið fjallið en ég hef alltaf elskað ævintýrið. |
| The boy has not seen the whale and he has never seen the shark. | Strákurinn hefur ekki séð hvalinn og hann hefur aldrei séð hákarlinn. |