Tags
In this post we’ll look at 3 verbs that have similar appearances in their various conjugated forms, and can sometimes cause confusion when you’re first starting out. In each of them, you find the sound combination F-L-T:
| að flytja – to move, transport, carry | ||
|---|---|---|
| present | past | |
| ég | flyt | flutti |
| þú | flytur | fluttir |
| það | flytur | flutti |
| við | flytjum | fluttum |
| þið | flytjið | fluttuð |
| þau | flytja | fluttu |
This is the verb used when talking about moving yourself and/or your things to another place, like when you change residence. Or when the elves move house on New Year’s Eve 🙂
Mig langar að flytja til Íslands.
I want to move to Iceland.
Við fluttum inn í gær.
We moved in yesterday.
Álfarnir flytja búferlum á gamlárskvöld.
The elves move house on New Year’s Eve.
Some related words:
inn·flutning/ur m (-s) – imports
út·flutning/ur m (-s) – exports
| að flýta – to speed up, hurry up | ||
|---|---|---|
| present | past | |
| ég | flýti | flýtti |
| þú | flýtir | flýttir |
| það | flýtir | flýtti |
| við | flýtum | flýttum |
| þið | flýtið | flýttuð |
| þau | flýta | flýttu |
The verb að flýta is often seen in its reflexive form, when a person is in a hurry:
Ég flýti mér af því að ég er orðinn of seinn.
I am in a hurry because I am late.
Hann flýtti sér inn í húsið.
He rushed into the house.
| að fljóta – to float | ||
|---|---|---|
| present | past | |
| ég | flýt | flaut |
| þú | flýtur | flaust |
| það | flýtur | flaut |
| við | fljótum | flutum |
| þið | fljótið | flutuð |
| þau | fljóta | flutu |
In its infinitive form fljóta is similar enough to the English word float, but conjugated it can look similar to forms of flýta or flytja.
Skipið flýtur á sjónum.
The ship floats on the sea.
fljóta can also have the meaning of flow:
Kampavín flaut á veislunni.
Champagne flowed at the party.
Fé flýtur inn í landið.
Money is flowing into the country.
There’s a fourth verb that is similar to the others, but has an F-L-G root:
| að fljúga – to fly | ||
|---|---|---|
| present | past | |
| ég | flýg | flaug |
| þú | flýgur | flaugst |
| það | flýgur | flaug |
| við | fljúgum | flugum |
| þið | fljúgið | fluguð |
| þau | fljúga | flugu |
Við flugum til Íslands í fyrra.
We flew to Iceland last year.
The -g- instead of the -t-, plus the fact that there are other basic vocabulary words learned early on related to fljúga and ideas of flight, makes enough difference that it doesn’t cause much confusion.
flug n (-s) flight flug/völlur m (-vallar,-vellir) airport flug·stöð f (-var,-var) air terminal flug·vél f (-ar,-ar) airplane flug·ferð f (-ar,-ir) plane trip flug/a f (-u,-ur) fly (insect) flug·eld/ur m (-s,-ar) rocket (fireworks)
And so forth.
Hope this helps you a bit in keeping these verb straight 🙂