Breakdown of Ég vona að hann kjamsi ekki.
ég
I
hann
he
ekki
not
að
that (conjunction)
vona
to hope
kjamsa
to smack one's lips
Questions & Answers about Ég vona að hann kjamsi ekki.
Why does the verb kjamsa change to kjamsi in this sentence?
It is in the present subjunctive mood. The main verb vona (to hope) expresses a wish or expectation, which requires the verb in the following að (that) clause to be in the subjunctive. Since the hope applies to the present or future, we use the present subjunctive.
How exactly do we form the present subjunctive for kjamsa?
Kjamsa is a Group 1 weak verb, meaning it ends in -a in the infinitive and takes -aði in the past tense. To form the present subjunctive for this group, you drop the final -a and add -i for all singular pronouns (ég, þú, hann/hún/það). Thus, it becomes kjamsi.
Why is the main verb vona not in the subjunctive?
The fact that you are hoping is real and happening right now, so vona stays in the normal indicative mood. Only the action you are hoping for, which is a wish rather than a confirmed fact, takes the subjunctive.
I see ekki comes after the verb here. Does word order change in subjunctive clauses?
No, the mood of the verb does not change where ekki goes. In this subordinate clause starting with að, the negative word ekki simply follows the verb, giving us að hann kjamsi ekki.
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