óþarft

þarft is the second-person singular present indicative form of the Icelandic verb þurfa, meaning “to need.” It is used when the subject is the person addressed, typically expressed as “þú þarft.” The form corresponds to the subject you in sentences such as “Þú þarft að fara” (You need to go / You have to go). In Icelandic, the infinitive is introduced with the particle að, so constructions with sentir: “þarft að” followed by a verb in its infinitive.

Grammatical use and nuances: þarft denotes necessity or obligation that the speaker attributes to the listener. It can express practical need (requirements or necessities) or mild obligation. The related impersonal construction “Það þarf” is used without a specific subject to indicate general necessity, e.g., “Það þarf að laga þetta” (That needs fixing / This must be fixed). The distinction between personal usage (þú þarft) and impersonal usage (Það þarf) is common in everyday Icelandic.

Form and pronunciation: þarft forms from the verb þurfa. The initial letter þ is a voiceless dental fricative, similar to “th” in English. The full form is pronounced roughly as “tharf-t,” with a short a sound in the middle. The second-person form is used specifically with the pronoun þú.

Etymology and cognates: þurfa (to need) comes from Old Norse þurfa, with cognates in other North Germanic languages. The modern Icelandic form preserves the same core meaning and a similar inflection pattern for the second-person present tense.

See also: Icelandic verb conjugation, no, to need, impersonal construction with það þarf.