The impersonal verb in Old Icelandic

16.
The auxiliaries in these two, lI skal ll
and "skyldi", imply
modality, whereas "mun" does not.
CJ~SS
I (b): Impersonal with the passive.
Snorra Edda:
•• varo ekki sv~ smloat ••• (p.6, 1.41)
English would replace this impersonal passive construction
wi th a personal gerundial one: 11 •• no such building was
done. • • II
neuter ro~,
Notice that the past participle tlsmioatll is in
in concord with its impersonal subject.
En er soo1t var ••• (p.8, 1.114)
The sub ject is really "goats" or Hmeal tl • An English
equivalent with the equivalent or the impersonal subject
could be "When the co oking was done II •
/
En Fa er sagt at ••• (p.lO, 1.160)
Impersonal is combined with passive.
Vel er drukkit ••• (p.13, 1.284)
cr. p.13, 1.275 (Class V).
Volsunga saga:
• • ok l~tta
eigi ryrr en lokit er at rista ••• (p.24,1.109)
In the subordinate clause the action rocus, or the actual agent
or the verb is really the cutting.
Icelandic expresses tbis
as an inrinitive phrase added to the construction; English
would rorm the gerund "cuttingfl and make it subj ect.
Note.
This is Class I (b) because the rollowing phrase is
inrinitive, not prepositional.
hlJ2,.ellus I slandorum: (51 on):
/
•• sva er sagt. . .