Breakdown of Leikstjórinn heldur áfram þótt þokan tefji verkefnið.
halda áfram
to continue, keep going (halda áfram)
verkefnið
the assignment
leikstjórinn
the director
þótt
although
þokan
the fog
tefja
to delay
Questions & Answers about Leikstjórinn heldur áfram þótt þokan tefji verkefnið.
Why is the verb tefji in the subjunctive mood here?
The conjunction þótt (even though / although) always forces the verb in its clause to be in the subjunctive mood. If we were just stating a fact without "even though", we would use the regular present indicative form tefur (delays).
Could I use þó að instead of þótt in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely! Þótt and þó að mean the exact same thing and both trigger the subjunctive. You could just as easily say ... þó að þokan tefji verkefnið. Þótt is simply a shorter, one-word alternative.
Why do we need the word áfram here?
By itself, the verb halda usually means "to hold" or "to think/believe". To mean "to continue", you must use the phrasal verb halda áfram (literally "hold forward" or "hold onward"). Here, it's conjugated as heldur áfram to match the director.
How do we get the subjunctive form tefji from the infinitive tefja (to delay)?
Forming the present subjunctive is usually quite regular. You take the infinitive tefja, drop the final -a, and add the subjunctive endings. For the third-person singular (matching þokan), the ending is -i, giving us tefji.
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