Question 1

Why is the past tense of þurfa written as þurfti here?

Accepted Answer

The verb þurfa translates to "to need to" or "to have to". While its present tense is quite irregular (for example, "I need" is ég þarf), its past tense is more predictable. For the third-person singular like the sailor, it becomes þurfti. Just like in the present tense, you use it with að plus the infinitive verb, which is why we see þurfti að bíða for "had to wait".

Question 2

Why does the verb þurfti come before the subject sjómaðurinn?

Accepted Answer

This happens because of the V2 (verb-second) rule, which states that the main verb must be the second grammatical block in a main clause. The entire "if" clause (Ef veðrið var slæmt) counts as the first block. To keep the main verb in the second position, þurfti must come immediately after the comma, pushing the subject (sjómaðurinn) to the other side of the verb.

Question 3

The English translation says "had to wait", but doesn't þurfa mean "to need"?

Accepted Answer

Yes, þurfa literally means "to need", but Icelandic uses it in the exact same situations where English speakers would say "have to". Therefore, þurfti að bíða can be translated as "needed to wait" or "had to wait", depending on what sounds most natural in English.

Question 4

Why does the adjective slæmt end in -t?

Accepted Answer

Adjectives in Icelandic must match the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe. The word for weather, veður, is a neuter noun. Because it is the subject of the first clause, it is in the nominative case. The dictionary form of the adjective is slæmur (masculine), but when describing a neuter noun, it takes the neuter ending -t to become slæmt.

Ef veðrið var slæmt þurfti sjómaðurinn að bíða.

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