Tabletop board games are a great way to practice explaining sequential actions. To outline rules clearly, we rely on sequence connectors like fyrst (first), svo or síðan (then), and loksins (finally).
The Verb-Second (V2) Rule
In Icelandic, the conjugated verb generally insists on being the second element in a main clause. When you start a sentence with an adverbial connector like fyrst, the verb must come immediately after it. This pushes the subject to the third spot.
Notice in the example below how the sentence is structured literally as "First chooses the player".
| First, the player chooses the color. | Fyrst velur leikmaðurinn litinn. |
Svo and Síðan (Then)
To describe the next steps in a sequence, you can use either svo or síðan. Both translate to "then" or "afterwards" and trigger the exact same word order swap.
| First, you throw the dice. | Fyrst kastar þú teningnum. |
| Then you move the pawn. | Síðan færir þú peðið. |
| Then the player throws the dice. | Svo kastar leikmaðurinn teningnum. |
If you chain actions together using og (and), the sequence connectors continue to help structure the steps. Note that you don't need to repeat the subject in the second part of the sentence if it's the same person performing both actions.
| First, he draws the card. | Fyrst dregur hann spilið. |
| Then you draw the card and read it. | Síðan dregur þú spilið og lest það. |
Loksins (Finally)
To wrap up a sequence of actions or to conclude a player's turn, use loksins (finally).
| Finally, you throw the dice again. | Loksins kastar þú teningnum aftur. |
| Finally, the player finishes the game. | Loksins klárar leikmaðurinn leikinn. |