Breakdown of Leiðangurinn héldi áfram þótt stormurinn bryti sleðann.
brjóta
to break
halda áfram
to continue, keep going (halda áfram)
leiðangurinn
the expedition
sleðinn
the sled
þótt
although
stormurinn
the storm (wind)
Questions & Answers about Leiðangurinn héldi áfram þótt stormurinn bryti sleðann.
How is the past subjunctive bryti formed from the verb brjóta?
For strong verbs, the past subjunctive is built from the past plural stem. The past plural of brjóta (to break) is við brutum. We take the stem brut-, apply an i-shift which changes the u to a y, and add the subjunctive ending -i for the third person singular, giving us bryti.
Does héldi follow the same rule, even though its vowel doesn't seem to change?
Yes! The verb halda is also a strong verb, and its past plural is við héldum. Since the vowel é does not change in an i-shift, the stem remains héld-. We just drop the -um and add the past subjunctive ending -i to get héldi.
Why are both verbs in the past subjunctive here?
The second verb, bryti, is in the subjunctive because it follows the conjunction þótt (even if or although), which always requires the subjunctive mood. The first verb, héldi, is in the past subjunctive because it expresses a hypothetical or conditional action (would continue) rather than a concrete past event.
Why does the English word 'continue' translate to héldi áfram?
The literal translation of the verb halda is 'to hold', and the adverb áfram means 'forward' or 'onwards'. Together, the phrasal verb halda áfram is the standard way to say 'to continue' or 'to keep going' in Icelandic.
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