Breakdown of Ef við hefðum tímavélina, myndum við kanna alheiminn.
við
we
hafa
to have
ef
if
kanna
to explore
myndi
would (singular)
tímavélin
the time machine
alheimurinn
the universe
Questions & Answers about Ef við hefðum tímavélina, myndum við kanna alheiminn.
Why is it hefðum and not the regular past tense höfðum?
Because this is an imaginary scenario, Icelandic uses the past subjunctive mood. For the verb hafa (to have), the past subjunctive form for 'we' is hefðum. It shows that we do not actually have the time machine right now.
Why does the second part of the sentence say myndum við instead of við myndum?
This is because of the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire ef (if) clause counts as the first piece of information in the sentence. Therefore, the verb of the main clause (myndum) must come immediately after the comma in the second position, pushing the subject (við) to the third position.
Could you just use the past subjunctive of kanna instead of using myndum?
Yes! You could say ... könnuðum við alheiminn to mean 'we would explore the universe'. However, using the helping verb munu in its past subjunctive form (myndum) plus an infinitive verb (kanna) is much more common in modern spoken Icelandic when saying what you 'would' do.
What are the parts of the word tímavélina and why is it in this form?
It is a compound word made of tími (time) and vél (machine). Vél is a feminine noun. The verb hafa requires its object to be in the accusative case, so we add the feminine definite accusative article -ina to the end, giving us tímavélina (the time machine).
What does the prefix al- mean in alheiminn?
The prefix al- means 'all' or 'complete.' Combined with heimur (world), it forms alheimur, which means 'the universe' (literally 'the all-world'). Here it ends in -inn because it is a masculine noun in the definite accusative form, since it is the direct object of the verb kanna (to explore).
Learn Ef við hefðum tímavélina, myndum við kanna alheiminn and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free