hraðar

Hraðar is an Icelandic word that can function as more than one part of speech, depending on context. It is most commonly seen as the feminine plural form of the adjective hraður, meaning fast or rapid. When it precedes feminine plural nouns, it conveys the sense of speed or immediacy, as in phrases like hraðar breytingar (rapid changes) or hraðar aðgerðir (swift actions). This usage is typical in descriptive writing, journalism, and technical language where pace or intensity is being described.

Hraðar can also appear as a verb form. Specifically, it can be the present tense, third-person singular form of the verb hraða, which means to speed up or to accelerate. In this role, it denotes an action carried out by a subject, for example: Hann hraðar bílinn (He accelerates the car). In written Icelandic, the same spelling can surface from different grammatical origins, and context helps determine whether the word is functioning as an adjective or a verb.

Related nouns include hraði, meaning speed or pace, from which hraðar as an adjective derives. The root آجars is historically connected to Old Norse and other Germanic languages, reflecting the broad semantic field around speed and rapidity.

Usage notes: because of its dual potential as an adjective form and a verb form, the word hraðar relies on surrounding words to convey exact meaning. It is common in everyday Icelandic as well as in formal writing when discussing speed, progress, or increments in time or change.