sögðu

Sögðu is the past tense form of the Icelandic verb segja, meaning to say or to tell. It is used as the finite past tense form for third-person plural subjects (they said). The standard past-tense conjugation of segja includes: ég sögði, þú sagðir, hann sagði, við sögðum, þið sögðuð, þau sögðu. The form sögðu typically appears with a plural subject, such as in sentences where the subject is stated or understood to be they.

In use, sögðu appears in narratives and reported speech to convey actions in the past. For example, Þau sögðu söguna, meaning “They told the story.” The corresponding present or future forms are formed with segja in the appropriate tense. The imperative form of segja is segðu, meaning “say!” or “tell,” which is distinct from the past tense sögðu.

Etymology and cognates: segja and its past forms derive from Old Norse sagða, with related forms in other North Germanic languages, such as Danish sagde, Norwegian sa, and Swedish sade. The development from Old Norse to Icelandic preserves the distinction between singular and plural forms in the past tense, as in sögðu for plural subjects.

Overall, sögðu is a common, standard past-tense form used when referring to something said by a plural subject in Icelandic, and it contrasts with the singular past form sagði and the imperative segðu.