Breakdown of Leikurinn var klukkan hálf átta.
vera
to be
átta
eight
klukkan
the clock
leikurinn
the game
hálfur
half
Questions & Answers about Leikurinn var klukkan hálf átta.
Wait, átta means eight. Why does hálf átta translate to 'half past seven'?
This is the biggest trap for English speakers when telling time in Icelandic! In English, we look backward to the hour that just passed ('half past seven'). In Icelandic, you look forward to the upcoming hour. So, hálf átta literally means 'halfway to eight' (7:30). If you wanted to say 'half past eight' (8:30), you would say hálf níu.
How do you say 'at' a certain time here? There is no preposition before klukkan.
You don't need one! To say something happens 'at' a certain time in Icelandic, you just use the word klukkan (the clock) followed by the time. So klukkan hálf átta works perfectly as 'at half past seven' all on its own without needing an extra word for 'at'.
I see leikur means 'game'. How does it become leikurinn?
Is var the past tense of er?
Exactly. Var is the past tense of að vera (to be) for 'I', 'he', 'she', and 'it'. Just like 'is' becomes 'was' in English, er becomes var in Icelandic.
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