Breakdown of Við þurfum að hlaupa undan honum áður en hann valtar yfir okkur.
hann
he
við
we
að
to (infinitive marker)
okkur
us
þurfa
to need
hlaupa
to run
yfir
past / over, across
áður en
before
undan
away from
valta
to steamroll
Questions & Answers about Við þurfum að hlaupa undan honum áður en hann valtar yfir okkur.
Why does the translation say "it" when the Icelandic uses the masculine pronouns honum and hann?
In Icelandic, pronouns must match the grammatical gender of the noun they refer to, not just natural gender. The "it" they are running from must be a masculine noun in Icelandic (such as a truck, a boulder, or a storm), so it takes the masculine pronouns hann (nominative) and honum (dative).
Why is honum in the dative case here?
It is controlled by the preposition undan (away from, out from under), which always governs the dative case when indicating movement away from a source.
Why do we need en after áður here?
You must use the phrase áður en when "before" acts as a conjunction introducing a full clause with its own subject and verb (here, hann valtar yfir okkur). If you use áður on its own, it functions as an adverb meaning "previously" or "earlier".
What does the verb valtar mean exactly in this context?
It comes from að valta, which means to roll or flatten (a steamroller is called a valtari). The phrasal verb að valta yfir (to steamroll over) takes the accusative case and is often used both literally and figuratively to describe something heavy, powerful, or overwhelming crushing whatever is in its path.
Learn Við þurfum að hlaupa undan honum áður en hann valtar yfir okkur 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