Breakdown of Auðvitað heldur hann það.
hann
he
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
halda
to think (believe)
auðvitað
of course
Questions & Answers about Auðvitað heldur hann það.
The dictionary form is halda. Why does it change to heldur with an "e"?
Halda is a strong verb. As you are learning in this lesson, strong verbs change their stem vowel in the singular present tense. Here, the "a" shifts to "e", giving us ég held, þú heldur, and hann heldur.
I learned that halda means "to hold". Why does it translate to "thinks" here?
While halda does mean "to hold" physically, it is also the standard verb for "to think" in the sense of holding an opinion, believing, or guessing.
Why is the word order heldur hann instead of hann heldur?
This is due to the V2 (verb-second) rule. Since the sentence starts with the adverb auðvitað (of course), the verb heldur must be the second element. The subject hann is therefore pushed to the spot right after the verb.
Why does the sentence use það (it) instead of a word for "so"?
English uses "so" in phrases like "he thinks so," but Icelandic treats the opinion as a direct object and uses það (it). Literally, this sentence translates to "Of course he thinks it."