Hugsanlegir

Hugsanlegir is an Icelandic adjective form meaning thinkable, possible, or feasible. It describes something that could reasonably occur or be true. The form hugsanlegir is the masculine plural nominative form of the adjective hugsanlegur, and other gender and number forms exist to agree with the noun they modify.

Usage examples include phrases such as hugsanlegir kostir (possible advantages) and hugsanlegar lausnir (possible solutions). It is also used in constructions like Það er hugsanlegt að ... meaning “It is possible that ...” or “It may be that ...” In this construction, the adjective indicates that the event or condition is within the realm of possibility rather than certain.

In addition to the adjective, Icelandic has the related adverb hugsanlega, meaning perhaps or possibly. For example, Hugsanlega munu þeir koma, meaning “Perhaps they will come.” The distinction between hugsanlegur and hugsanlega is common in everyday language, where the adjective modifies nouns and the adverb modifies verbs or whole clauses.

Etymology: hugsanlegur derives from the verb hugsa, to think, or the noun hugsun, thought, with the suffix -legur forming an adjective meaning thinkable or feasible. The term thus carries a nuance of something that can be considered or contemplated as a potential.

See also: mögulegur, another Icelandic word for “possible,” which can convey a similar sense but with slightly different nuance.