hvenær

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse hvenær.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkʰvɛːnair/, (dialectal, now rare) /ˈxʷɛː/

Adverb

hvenær

  1. when
    Hvenær er von á þér?
    When may we expect you?
    Hvenær áttu afmæli?
    When is your birthday?

Usage notes

This word is only used as an interrogative pronoun. In statements, the word þegar is used.

Old Norse

Alternative forms

Etymology

Likely an exact cognate to Dutch wanneer (“when”). De Vries, however, prefers a derivation from hvé (“how”) +‎ nær (“near”), with sense development "how near" > "how early" > "when". The first component is regardless related to Proto-Germanic *hwan (“when”).[1]

Adverb

hvenær

  1. when

References

  1. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977) “hvénær, hvénar, hvéner”, in Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Old Norse Etymological Dictionary]‎[1] (in German), 2nd revised edition, Leiden: Brill, page 271

Further reading

  • Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “hvenær”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive
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