sagnorða

Sagnorð, in Icelandic grammar, are words that express actions, events, or states and function as the predicate in clauses. They are a central word class and, in finite clauses, inflect for person and number. Sagnorð also appear in non-finite forms such as infinitives and participles, and they combine with auxiliary verbs to express various tenses and moods.

Conjugation and tenses: Finite sagnorð forms mark person and number and encode tense, aspect and mood through different endings and stem changes. Icelandic uses auxiliary verbs to form perfect and pluperfect tenses and to express passive voice. The language distinguishes strong and weak verbs, as well as irregulars; strong verbs typically change their stem in past tense, while weak verbs add suffixes. Many verbs show irregular patterns in several tenses, and learners often encounter verb stems that police the system rather than endings alone.

Non-finite forms: The infinitive is marked with að or used in bare infinitive in some constructions. Present participle forms typically end in -andi and function in predicative and adverbial roles. Past participles are used in perfect and passive constructions and as adjectives when combined with nouns. Together, these non-finite forms enable complex verb phrases and subordinate clauses.

Voice, mood and usage: Sagnorð can appear in active and passive constructions; passive forms are often built with a past participle and an auxiliary verb such as vera or hafa, depending on tense. Icelandic has indicative and imperative moods, and a subjunctive that appears mainly in indirect speech and set phrases. Verbs agree with their subject in person and number, and negation is typically expressed with ekki or other negative particles attached to the finite verb forms.