Breakdown of Ég vildi að togarinn hefði stærri afla.
ég
I
vilja
to want (to will, be willing)
að
that (conjunction)
hafa
to have
stærri
bigger
togarinn
the trawler
aflinn
the catch
Questions & Answers about Ég vildi að togarinn hefði stærri afla.
Why is hefði used here instead of the regular past tense hafði or present tense hefur?
The phrase Ég vildi að (I wish that) sets up a hypothetical situation. When expressing a wish about the present moment, Icelandic uses the past subjunctive mood. Hefði is the past subjunctive form of hafa (to have).
I am wishing for something right now. Why does the sentence start with the past tense vildi instead of vil?
Using the past tense ég vildi softens the statement, turning it from a direct demand (I want) into a hypothetical desire (I wish). This is the standard idiomatic way to say "I wish" in Icelandic.
What is the dictionary form of afla, and why does it end in -a in this sentence?
The dictionary form is afli, a weak masculine noun meaning "catch" (usually of fish). It changes to afla because it is the direct object of the verb hafa (to have), which requires the accusative case. Weak masculine nouns change their ending from -i to -a in the accusative, dative, and genitive cases.
How is the adjective stærri declined to match the accusative masculine noun afla?
Stærri (larger/bigger) is a comparative adjective. Luckily, comparative adjectives are much simpler to decline than regular adjectives! The form stærri is used for most cases and genders in the singular, so it naturally fits with the accusative masculine afla without needing a special ending.
Learn Ég vildi að togarinn hefði stærri afla 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