hvenær
Icelandic
editEtymology
editPronunciation
editAdverb
edithvenær
- when
- Hvenær er von á þér?
- When may we expect you?
- Hvenær áttu afmæli?
- When is your birthday?
Usage notes
editThis word is only used as an interrogative pronoun. In statements, the word þegar is used.
Old Norse
editAlternative forms
edit- hvenar — in the Droplaugarsona saga
- hvener
Etymology
editLikely 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
edithvenær
References
edit- ^ 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
edit- Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “hvenær”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive