Hvenær förum við?

Breakdown of Hvenær förum við?

við
we
hvenær
when
fara
to go

Questions & Answers about Hvenær förum við?

How do I know when to use hvenær?
Hvenær is specifically a question word meaning "when" or "at what time". You use it when asking a question. Later on, you will learn a different word for "when" used in regular statements, but for questions, hvenær is your go-to word!
Why does the verb come before the subject (förum við instead of við förum)?
This happens because of the "verb-second" rule. In Icelandic, the main verb almost always has to be the second piece of information in a sentence. Since the question word hvenær takes the first spot, the verb förum must come second, pushing the subject við (we) to the third spot.
The translation is "are we going", but where is the word for "are"?
Icelandic does not have an "-ing" form of verbs like English. The present tense verb förum can mean both "we go" and "we are going". Icelandic also frequently uses the present tense to talk about the near future, so this perfectly translates to "When are we going?"
Why does the dictionary form of the verb fara (to go) change to förum here?
In Icelandic, verbs change their endings depending on the subject. Whenever the subject is við (we), the verb almost always takes an -um ending. Adding this ending often causes an "a" in the base word to change to an "ö" for pronunciation reasons, which is exactly why fara becomes förum.

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