Questions & Answers about Var þjófurinn að flýja?
How does Icelandic express 'was fleeing' in this sentence?
Just like in English, Icelandic uses a past continuous structure here. It combines the past tense of the verb vera (to be) with að and the infinitive of the main verb. In this sentence, var means 'was' and að flýja acts like 'fleeing'.
Why is the word order Var þjófurinn instead of Þjófurinn var?
Because this is a yes/no question. In Icelandic, you form these by swapping the subject (þjófurinn) and the verb (var), exactly like saying 'Was the thief...' in English instead of 'The thief was...'.
What is the base word for þjófurinn?
The base noun is þjófur, which means 'a thief'. The -inn at the end is the attached definite article, making it 'the thief'. Because it is the subject of the sentence, it stays in the nominative (dictionary) case.
If there were multiple thieves, would the verb flýja change?
No, að flýja (to flee) stays exactly the same because it is in the infinitive form. Only the helping verb changes to match a plural subject. 'Were the thieves fleeing?' would be Voru þjófarnir að flýja?