Modal Auxilary Verbs

Modal Auxiliary Verbs (háttarsagnir)

https://is.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A1ttars%C3%B6gn

https://is.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%BA%C3%BE%C3%A1leg_s%C3%B6gn

You may also know these verbs as "helping verbs" because that's exactly what they do, help to convey the idea expressed by another verb.

There are several modal auxiliaries in Icelandic, here presented with their definitions and a rough English equivalent:

mega	Permission	to be allowed to, may
vilja	intention, desire	to want to
Eiga (að)	duty, expectancy	to have to, shall
Verða (að)	necessity, compulsion	to have to, must
Geta	Possibility	to possibly do, might
Skulu	Duty, expectancy	should
Munu	Future event	will
Kunna (að)	Ability	to be able to, can
Hljóta (að)	Likelihood	Should, must
Þurfa (að)	need
Ætla (að)	Intention with certainty	Intend to

These auxiliaries are almost always followed by infinitives. Some of the infinitives take að.

Við verðum að læra það.
We have to learn it.

Ég get ekki skilið þessa bók.
I can't understand this book.

Þú mátt fara heim núna

You may go home now

Ég þarf að borga skuldina

I have to pay the debt

Ég vil lesa þessa bók

I want to read this book

Ég kann að lesa sænsku

I know how to read Swedish

Vilja, þrá, kunna can also be used without another verb at all

Ég vil köku

I want cake

Ég kann ensku

I know English

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But what distinguishes modal-auxilary verbs (háttarsagnir) is how the case of the subject is not determined by them, but by the other verb.

Remeber the cases of the pronoun I: Ég (nf), um mig (þf), frá mér (þgf), til mín (ef)

Ég fer (nf of Ég brought by the verb fara)

I go

Ég þarf að fara (nf of Ég brought by the verb fara)

I need to go

Mér leiðist (þgf of Ég brought by the ver leiðast)

I'm (boring myself) bored

Mér þarf ekki að leiðast (þgf of Ég brought my leiðast)

I don't have to (bore myself) be bored

Mig vantar ost (þf of Ég brought by verb vanta)

I lack cheese

Mig þarf ekki að vanta ost (þf og Ég brought by verb vanta)

I don't need to lack cheese

Ég sæki þig (nf of Ég brought by the verb sækja)

I (will) fetch you

Ég ætla að sækja þig (nf of Ég brought by the verb sækja)

I intend to fetch you

Mér tekst þetta (þgf of Ég brought by the verb takast)

I succeed at this

Mér ætlar ekki að takast þetta (þgf of Ég brought by the verb takast)

Direct translation: I am not intending to succeed at this

Proper translation: I am not meant to succeed at this (despite trying)

Ég hlýt að vera veikur (nf of Ég brought by the verb vera)

I must (by probability) be sick

Mér hlýtur að takast þetta (þgf of Ég brought by the verb takast)

I must (by probability) succeed at this

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There are many verbs in Icelandic, that also help convey the idea expressed by another verb and are followed by infinitives, but are not háttarsagnir, because the case of the subject is not determined by the other verb. The verb þrá, which means to yearn for, is a verb like that.

Note the difference when we use the verb hljóta, which is a háttarsögn and the verb þrá (yearn for), which is not a háttarsögn

Mér tekst þetta (þgf of Ég brought by the verb takast)

Mér hlýtur að takast þetta (þgf of Ég brought by the verb takast)

Ég þrái að takast þetta (nf of Ég brought by the verb þrá)

Likewise, the word langa (same word as long to, but now means want to) works like the verb þrá

Mig langar að takast þetta

Mig langar að fara heim

Using mér with langar is something many Icelanders do, but it is grammatically wrong. It's called þágufallssýki (Dative sickness), since langar is supposed to bring þolfall (accusative).