Skip to main content

Progressive Tense

Now that you know how to conjugate að vera, you are ready to create your first tenses!

What Are Progressive Tenses?​

The progressive tenses are used to describe continuous actions. The same tenses with nearly the same meaning also exist in English.

Example 1: I am eating.
Example 2: He is eating.
Example 3: She was baking.

In Icelandic, these forms are created a little differently. After the conjugated form of að vera, Icelandic uses an infinitive instead of a present participle (a verb form you do not need to be familiar with for this course) as English does.

Construction: (subject) (að vera) (infinitive)

Example 1: Ég er að borða.
Example 2: Hann er að tala.
Example 3: Hún var að baka.

What Can I Say With These?​

You can use nearly any verb with this structure and make a good, grammatical sentence. Progressive tenses are very useful in daily conversations because it is very common to tell somebody what you are doing or to describe what somebody else is doing at that very moment.

Example 1: Við erum að læra. - (We are learning.)
Example 2: Hún var að elda. - (She was cooking.)
Example 3: Við erum að borða. - (We are eating.)
Example 4: Þið eruð að tala. - (They are talking.)

Tip: If you are having some trouble, try thinking of instead of saying, "I am eating," Icelandic says, "I am to eat."

Putting It All Together​

You can blend this structure with the word hvað and the verb að gera (to do) to make some normal, common conversations!

Question 1: Hvað ert þú að gera? - (What are you doing.)
Answer 1: Ég er að borða. - (I am eating.)

Question 2: Hvað er Jón að gera? - (What is Jón doing?)
Answer 2: Hann er að elda. - (He is cooking.)

Question 3: Hvað eruð þið að gera? - (What are y'all doing?)
Answer 3: Við erum að tala. - (We are talking.)

Now I Know:​

  • what the progressive tenses are
  • when progressive tenses are used
  • how Icelandic forms the progressive tenses
  • how to ask somebody what they are doing and how to respond to that same question