þegar

Þegar is a common word in Icelandic that functions primarily as a temporal conjunction and as a relative adverb. It is used to introduce clauses that express time, meaning “when” or “at which time,” and it can appear in both independent temporal clauses and in relative clauses modifying a noun phrase.

In modern Icelandic, þegar introduces clauses of time such as future, present, or past contexts. Examples include: Ég mun fara þegar ég er tilbúinn (I will go when I am ready) and Dagurinn þegar hann kom var kalt (The day when he arrived was cold). Þegar can also appear in relative clauses to specify the time associated with a noun, as in dagurinn þegar hann kom (the day when he arrived). In more formal or emphatic styles, þegar sem can be used, similar to “the time when” in English.

Grammatically, þegar is a subordinating element that can link a main clause to a dependent clause of time, and it may occur without additional conjunctions in everyday speech. It is distinct from other relative markers like sem or er, which often link to a noun phrase without signaling a precise temporal relation.

Etymology and history place þegar in the family of North Germanic temporal words, attested in Old Norse and retained in modern Icelandic. Its usage is stable in contemporary Icelandic, though style guides note that it can be combined with sem for specific emphasis in certain dialects or registers.

See also: Icelandic conjunctions, relative clauses, er, sem.