Understanding Icelandic Conjunctions
Conjunctions are special words that help us connect other words, phrases, or sentences. They are like little bridges that make our sentences flow smoothly. In Icelandic, just like in English, conjunctions help us to add more information, make choices, show contrasts, and more.
Important Points
- Coordinating Conjunctions
- Subordinating Conjunctions
- Correlative Conjunctions
Coordinating Conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions are used to join words or groups of words that are similar. In Icelandic, some common coordinating conjunctions are 'og' (and), 'eða' (or), and 'en' (but).
Examples
- Ég á epli og appelsínur.
- Viltu fara í sund eða bíó?
- Hún er góð í fótbolta en ekki í körfubolta.
Subordinating Conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions help to connect a main sentence with a dependent sentence. This makes one part of the sentence rely on the other. In Icelandic, examples include 'þegar' (when), 'af því að' (because), and 'ef' (if).
Examples
- Ég fer út að leika þegar það hættir að rigna.
- Hann borðar mikið af því að hann er svangur.
- Við förum í bíó ef það er opið.
Correlative conjunctions work in pairs to link equal parts of a sentence. In Icelandic, these include pairs like 'hvort...eða' (whether...or) and 'bæði...og' (both...and).
Examples
- Hún spurði hvort ég vildi te eða kaffi.
- Hann er bæði sterkur og fljótur.