Breakdown of Þegar útskriftin kom, var pabbi mjög glaður.
vera
to be
mjög
very
glaður
glad
koma
to come
pabbinn
the dad (informal)
þegar
when
útskriftin
the graduation
Questions & Answers about Þegar útskriftin kom, var pabbi mjög glaður.
Why do we use þegar here instead of hvenær for 'when'?
Þegar is a linking word used to connect two statements, meaning 'at the time that'. It is the word you need for describing past events. You only use hvenær when you are asking a question, like 'When is the graduation?'.
Why does the second part of the sentence say var pabbi instead of pabbi var?
This happens because of the Icelandic Verb-Second (V2) rule. The whole first clause (Þegar útskriftin kom) counts as the first block of information. To keep the main verb in the second position, var must come right after the comma, jumping in front of the subject pabbi.
How does the word útskriftin break down?
It is made of the feminine noun útskrift (graduation) and the attached definite article -in (the). Since it is the subject of the first clause, it is in the nominative case.
Why does the sentence use glaður for happy?
Adjectives change to match the noun they describe. Since pabbi (dad) is a masculine word in the nominative case, the adjective takes the masculine nominative form glaður. If the sentence was about a mother (mamma), it would use the feminine form glöð.
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