Learn Icelandic: Ef þeir hefðu hunsað hættumerkið, hefði útkoman orðið ömurleg. - If they had ignored the danger sign, the outcome would have been miserable.

Ef þeir hefðu hunsað hættumerkið, hefði útkoman orðið ömurleg.

If they had ignored the danger sign, the outcome would have been miserable.

Breakdown of Ef þeir hefðu hunsað hættumerkið, hefði útkoman orðið ömurleg.

Questions & Answers about Ef þeir hefðu hunsað hættumerkið, hefði útkoman orðið ömurleg.

Why do we use hefðu in the first clause and hefði in the second?

Both are the past subjunctive of hafa (to have), which is the standard way to form past counterfactuals like 'had done' or 'would have done'. We use hefðu because the subject of the first clause is plural (þeir), and hefði because the subject of the second clause is singular (útkoman).

Why does the second clause start with the verb hefði instead of the subject útkoman?

This happens because of the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire Ef (if) clause counts as the first block of information in the sentence. To keep the main verb in the second position, hefði must come right after the comma, pushing the subject útkoman after the verb.

Why is orðið used here for 'been' instead of verið?

While verið translates directly to 'been', Icelandic often uses verða (to become, supine orðið) when talking about consequences, results, or changes of state. Expressing that 'the outcome would have become miserable' is the most natural way to phrase this result in Icelandic.

Why does the adjective ömurleg end without any special suffix here?