Questions & Answers about Eftir að hafa lesið bréfið grét hún.
Why is the word order grét hún instead of hún grét?
This is due to the strict V2 (verb-second) rule in Icelandic. The entire non-finite phrase Eftir að hafa lesið bréfið acts as a single block occupying the first position of the main sentence. Therefore, the main verb grét must take the second position, pushing the subject hún right after it.
Could I use a standard subordinate clause here and say Eftir að hún hafði lesið bréfið instead?
Yes, absolutely. Using the fully conjugated clause Eftir að hún hafði lesið bréfið (After she had read the letter) is grammatically correct and very common. The infinitive construction að hafa lesið is a natural-sounding alternative that works nicely here because the subject doing the reading and the crying is the exact same person.
What specific verb form is lesið in this construction?
It is the supine (sagnbót) form of the strong verb lesa. It is paired with the auxiliary verb hafa to create perfect tenses. Here, because it follows the infinitive marker að, the auxiliary verb stays in the infinitive, making að hafa lesið translate directly to 'to have read' or 'having read'.
Is grét a regular past tense form of the verb gráta?
No, gráta (to cry) is a strong verb. This means it changes its stem vowel to indicate the past tense rather than adding a standard suffix like -aði or -ti. The vowel changes from á to é, resulting in the past tense form grét for singular subjects.