Breakdown of Ef leiðangurinn tæki sleðann, færi hann hraðar.
hann
he
fara
to go
taka
to take
ef
if
hraðar
faster
leiðangurinn
the expedition
sleðinn
the sled
Questions & Answers about Ef leiðangurinn tæki sleðann, færi hann hraðar.
How do we get the past subjunctive form tæki from the verb taka?
For strong verbs, the past subjunctive is built from the past tense plural. The past plural of taka is tókum. Next, we apply an i-shift vowel change where ó becomes æ, giving the stem tæk-. Finally, we add the 3rd person singular ending -i to match leiðangurinn, resulting in tæki.
Does færi follow the exact same rule?
Yes! The verb fara (to go) is also a strong verb. Its past plural is fórum. Applying the same i-shift changes the ó to æ, creating the stem fær-. Add the -i ending for the 3rd person singular, and you get færi.
Why do both clauses use the past subjunctive here?
This sentence expresses a hypothetical or unreal situation. In Icelandic, when you say 'If X happened, Y would happen', you use the past subjunctive in both the 'if' clause (tæki) and the result clause (færi). Icelandic doesn't use a separate helper verb like the English word 'would'.
Why does the sentence use the pronoun hann to mean 'it'?
Pronouns must match the grammatical gender of the noun they replace. Hann refers back to leiðangurinn (the expedition). Because leiðangur is a masculine noun, it takes the masculine pronoun hann, even though we naturally translate it as 'it' in English.
Why is the sled written as sleðann here?
It is the direct object being taken by the expedition, so it must be in the accusative case. The dictionary form with the attached definite article is sleðinn, but the masculine ending changes to sleðann in the accusative.
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