The Icelandic subjunctive mood is an essential grammar tool used to express doubt, wishes, and hypothetical situations.

Many language learners avoid this topic because it sounds overly academic.

The Icelandic subjunctive is actually very logical once you learn a few basic rules.

I’ll explain exactly when to trigger this mood and how to conjugate verbs to use it correctly.

What is the subjunctive mood?

In Icelandic, the subjunctive mood is called viðtengingarháttur.

Moods in grammar simply tell us how the speaker feels about what they’re saying.

The indicative mood is what you already use every day to state absolute facts.

The subjunctive mood is used when things aren’t absolute facts.

You use it to talk about emotions, possibilities, uncertainties, or situations that are entirely hypothetical.

When to use the Icelandic subjunctive

You’ll use the subjunctive mood primarily in dependent clauses.

A dependent clause is a part of a sentence that relies on the main sentence to make sense.

In Icelandic, specific words in the main sentence force the verb in the dependent clause to change into the subjunctive.

This “trigger” is usually a specific verb of emotion or a specific conjunction.

You also use the subjunctive mood in reported speech, which is when you repeat what someone else said.

Verbs that trigger the subjunctive

Verbs that express hope, belief, doubt, or desire will always trigger the subjunctive in the following clause.

When you use the verb að vona (to hope), the outcome is uncertain, so the next verb must be subjunctive.

The same rule applies to the verb að halda (to think or to believe).

Because believing something is a subjective thought rather than a stated fact, it triggers the subjunctive.

Another common trigger verb is að óska (to wish).

Conjunctions that trigger the subjunctive

Certain conjunctions (connecting words) in Icelandic automatically force the next verb into the subjunctive mood.

One of the most common subjunctive conjunctions is þótt (although).

You’ll also use the subjunctive after nema (unless).

Another important conjunction to remember is svo að (so that).

How to form the present subjunctive

Forming the present subjunctive in Icelandic is highly regular and predictable.

For most verbs, you drop the infinitive ending and add the subjunctive endings: -i, -ir, -i, -um, -ið, -i.

Notice that the first person (ég) and third person (hann/hún/það) are completely identical.

Here’s a table showing the present subjunctive for the verbs að vera (to be) and að fara (to go).

The verb að vera is slightly irregular, but it’s the most common verb you’ll use in this mood.

How to form the past subjunctive

The past subjunctive is incredibly useful for talking about imaginary or hypothetical situations.

You use it exactly like the English word “would” in “if/then” scenarios.

It’s also used to make extremely polite requests.

The endings for the past subjunctive are typically -i, -ir, -i, -um, -uð, -u.

The vowel in the root of the verb often changes due to an Icelandic sound shift called an i-mutation.

Here’s the past subjunctive for að vera and að fara.

Here’s an example of the past subjunctive used in a hypothetical scenario.

By paying attention to “trigger” verbs and conjunctions, you’ll naturally start predicting when the subjunctive is needed.