nafnhætti

Nafnhætti is the term used in Icelandic grammar for the bare infinitive, a non-finite form of a verb that is not marked for person or number and, in certain constructions, does not take the preposed marker að. It is usually contrasted with the nafnháttur, the standard infinitive formed with að in finite clauses (for example, að fara, meaning “to go”).

In usage, nafnhætti appears in a subset of non-finite clauses and after certain verbs that control or causally affect another action. A classic example is the construction with causative verbs: Ég lét hann fara, meaning “I let him go,” where fara is the bare infinitive. The bare infinitive can also occur after some auxiliary or modal-like verbs in Icelandic, depending on the syntactic context, though its distribution is more restricted than that of the standard infinitive with að.

Morphologically, nafnhætti is not inflected for person or number and often represents the base form of the verb used in non-finite clauses. The form is generally related to the dictionary stem of the verb, but its exact appearance can vary with irregular verbs and dialectal tendencies.

Historically, nafnhætti has been a feature of Icelandic and other North Germanic languages, reflecting a non-finite clause type that can express actions without specifying a subject. In modern Icelandic, its use is more limited and tends to occur in written language or in traditional constructions, while everyday speech more often relies on other non-finite forms or the present infinitive with að where appropriate.

See also: infinitive, Icelandic grammar, non-finite clauses.