Turning into something (verða að)

Turning Into Something with "Verða að"

In Icelandic, the verb verða typically means "to become" or "must." To describe a complete physical transformation—something turning into something else—pair it with the preposition að.

The preposition að forces the resulting noun to take the dative case.

The caterpillar turns into a butterfly.
Lirfan verður að fiðrildi.
The tadpole quickly turns into a frog.
Halakartan verður hratt að froski.

Physical and Elemental Changes

Use this structure to describe chemical changes, physical transformations, and changes of state in nature. Notice how the nouns gufa (steam) and demantur (diamond) change to their dative forms gufu and demanti.

The hot water turns into steam.
Heita vatnið verður að gufu.
The coal sometimes turns into a diamond.
Kolið verður stundum að demanti.

Past and Conditional Forms

To describe transformations in the past or under certain conditions, simply conjugate verða. The noun following að always remains in the dative case.

  • Past tense: varð að (turned into)
  • Conditional: myndi verða að (would turn into)
The house burned and turned into ash.
Húsið brann og varð að ösku.
If the forest burned, it would turn into ash.
Ef skógurinn brynni, myndi hann verða að ösku.

Environmental Transformations

You will also see this construction used frequently to describe broad environmental and landscape changes.

Without water, the land turns into a desert.
Án vatns verður landið að eyðimörk.
The rain starts and the soil turns into mud.
Rigningin byrjar og moldin verður að leðju.
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