Icelandic

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Etymology

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From Old Norse hvenær.

Pronunciation

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

Adverb

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hvenær

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

Usage notes

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

Old Norse

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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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

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hvenær

  1. when

References

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  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

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