In Icelandic, motion verbs like fara (to go/leave) and koma (to come/arrive) use different helper verbs depending on what you want to emphasize.
The Action: hafa
To focus on the action of the movement (like life experiences or whether an event occurred), use hafa (to have) with the uninflected supine form (farið, komið).
| Has the tram gone to the platform? | Hefur sporvagninn farið á pallinn? |
| The passenger has often traveled to the city. | Farþeginn hefur oft ferðast til borgarinnar. |
The Result: vera
To focus on the result or current state—meaning someone is currently gone or has arrived—use vera (to be).
When using vera with a motion verb, the past participle acts like an adjective and must agree with the subject's gender and number:
- Masculine: farinn (gone), kominn (arrived)
- Feminine: farin, komin
- Neuter: farið, komið
Notice how the participle changes to match the feminine hraðlestin (express train) and the masculine sporvagninn (tram):
| The express train is gone from the platform. | Hraðlestin er farin frá pallinum. |
| The tram has arrived at the destination. | Sporvagninn er kominn á áfangastaðinn. |
This structure emphasizes a completed state. Notice how a past action creates the present status:
| The train is gone because it departed twelve minutes ago. | Lestin er farin af því að hún fór fyrir tólf mínútum síðan. |
| The passenger has finally arrived in the waiting room. | Farþeginn er loksins kominn í biðsalinn. |