Icelandic uses the productive suffix -na to turn adjectives into verbs. These verbs describe a gradual physical change or a process of "becoming" something. They conjugate regularly, taking -ar in the second- and third-person present, and -aði in the past.
For example, the adjective fölur (pale) becomes fölna (to fade or grow pale), and gulur (yellow) becomes gulna (to turn yellow).
| The patient is very pale in the face. | Sjúklingurinn er mjög fölur í andlitinu. |
| The beautiful color on the house will fade. | Fallegi liturinn á húsinu mun fölna. |
| The leaf yellowed a lot in autumn. | Laufblaðið gulnaði mikið í haust. |
Texture and Tension
When physical materials age or weather, they often change texture. From the adjectives for hard and stiff, we get harðna (to harden) and stífna (to stiffen).
| The bread hardens fast if you don't close the bag. | Brauðið harðnar hratt ef þú lokar ekki pokanum. |
| The muscle always stiffens after a difficult workout. | Vöðvinn stífnar alltaf eftir erfiða æfingu. |
Aging and Decay
This suffix applies to all kinds of natural weathering, biological aging, and changes in state. Milk turns sour (súrna), physical sensations fade or go numb (dofna), plants wither (visna), and organic matter rots (rotna).
| The milk turns sour fast if it is not in the fridge. | Mjólkin súrnar hratt ef hún er ekki í ísskápnum. |
| The pain itself usually fades. | Verkurinn sjálfur dofnar venjulega. |
| The plant withers if it doesn't get water. | Plantan visnar ef hún fær ekki vatn. |
| The fruit rots if we don't eat it. | Ávöxturinn rotnar ef við borðum hann ekki. |
Temperature
Finally, when the Icelandic winter starts to yield, frozen things thaw (þiðna).
| The snow always thaws very fast in the sun. | Snjórinn þiðnar alltaf mjög hratt í sólinni. |
