Word
Draumurinn minn var stór og ég vildi sjá framtíðina.
Meaning
My dream was big, and I wanted to see the future.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Draumurinn minn var stór og ég vildi sjá framtíðina.
How do we form the past tense of the modal verb vilja used here?
Vildi is the simple past tense of vilja (to want) for ég (I) and hann/hún/það (he/she/it). The present tense is ég vil (I want), but the past tense uses a '-di' ending to become ég vildi (I wanted). Like in English, modal verbs in Icelandic often have slightly irregular past tenses that you just have to memorize.
Do I need a word for 'to' before sjá (see)?
No. Because vilja is a modal verb, it connects directly to the dictionary form (infinitive) of the main verb without any connecting words. In Icelandic you just say ég vildi sjá, exactly like how we say 'I can see' or 'I must see' in English. You never use the Icelandic word að (to) after a modal verb.
Why does framtíðina end in '-ina' instead of '-in'?
Framtíð (future) is a feminine noun. If it were the subject of a sentence, 'the future' would be framtíðin. However, here it is the direct object receiving the action of the verb sjá (to see). This puts it in the accusative case, which changes the feminine 'the' ending from -in to -ina.
Why do we say Draumurinn minn instead of just Draumur minn?