Basic Icelandic Grammar

Icelandic is a fascinating language with rich inflection. Its grammar is more complex than in many other Indo-European languages and remains very close to Old Norse.
Below you will find the key building blocks of Icelandic grammar with clear examples.

Nouns and their declension

Icelandic nouns have:

  • three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine and neuter

  • four cases:

    • nominative (næfnifall)

    • genitive (eignarfall)

    • dative (þágufall)

    • accusative (þolfall)

Each noun changes its ending depending on case and number (singular / plural).

Example: masculine noun hundur (dog)
(see the declension table on the page)

The definite article

In Icelandic the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun as a suffix, not as a separate word.

Example:

  • hundur – dog

  • hundurinn – the dog

The same pattern appears with many other nouns:

  • hús – house → húsið – the house

  • stól – chair → stóllinn – the chair

Verbs and their conjugation

Icelandic verbs are conjugated for:

  • person and number

  • tense (present and past)

  • mood (indicative, subjunctive, imperative)

  • voice (active and passive)

Example: regular verb elska (to love)

In the present tense:

  • ég elska – I love

  • þú elskar – you love (sing.)

  • hann / hún / það elskar – he / she / it loves

  • við elskum – we love

  • þið elskið – you love (pl.)

  • þau elska – they love

(In the original page you have a full conjugation table with more forms.)

Adjectives

Icelandic adjectives agree with the noun in case, number and gender.
This means the ending of the adjective changes depending on the noun it describes.

Example: adjective góður (good)

  • góður maður – a good man (masc., nom. sg.)

  • góð kona – a good woman (fem., nom. sg.)

  • gott hús – a good house (neut., nom. sg.)

On your page the image shows more forms of the adjective góður in different cases.

Numerals

Icelandic numerals also change form depending on gender and case.

Example: numbers from 1 to 3

  • 1: einn (masc.), ein (fem.), eitt (neut.)

  • 2: tveir (masc.), tvær (fem.), tvö (neut.)

  • 3: þrír (masc.), þrjár (fem.), þrjú (neut.)

Basic example sentences

Here are a few simple sentences that show Icelandic grammar in context:

  • Ég elska hundinn minn. – I love my dog.

  • Við förum í skólann á morgun. – We are going to school tomorrow.

  • Húsið er stórt og fallegt. – The house is big and beautiful.

Regular practice with such sentences will help you internalise the structures and use Icelandic more fluently.

Icelandic grammar in everyday speech

Below you will find more examples that show how declension, conjugation, adjectives and numerals work in real sentences.
Each example includes a short explanation of the key grammar point.

1. Declension of nouns

Noun: hundur (dog)

  • Ég sé hundinn.
    I see the dog.
    → accusative singular: hundinn

  • Hundurinn er stór.
    The dog is big.
    → nominative singular: hundurinn

Noun: hús (house)

  • Við búum í húsinu.
    We live in the house.
    → dative singular: húsinu

  • Húsið er hvítt.
    The house is white.
    → nominative singular: húsið

2. Conjugation of verbs

Verb: elska (to love)

  • Ég elska þig.
    I love you.
    → present tense: elska

  • Við elskum hundinn okkar.
    We love our dog.
    → present tense, 1st person plural: elskum

Verb: fara (to go)

  • Ég fer í vinnu á morgun.
    I go / am going to work tomorrow.
    → present tense, 1st person singular: fer

  • Þau fóru í skólann.
    They went to school.
    → past tense, 3rd person plural: fóru

3. Adjectives in context

Adjective: stór (big)

  • Húsið er stórt.
    The house is big.
    → neuter, nominative singular: stórt

  • Hundurinn er stór.
    The dog is big.
    → masculine, nominative singular: stór

Adjective: fallegur (beautiful)

  • Stelpan er falleg.
    The girl is beautiful.
    → feminine, nominative singular: falleg

  • Blómin eru falleg.
    The flowers are beautiful.
    → neuter, plural: falleg

4. Numerals in everyday use

  • Ég á þrjá ketti.
    I have three cats.
    → numeral: þrjá (accusative, masculine, plural)

  • Við keyptum tvær kökur.
    We bought two cakes.
    → numeral: tvær (accusative, feminine, plural)

  • Ég sé eitt hús.
    I see one house.
    → numeral: eitt (accusative, neuter, singular)

5. Common everyday phrases

  • Hvað heitir þú?
    What is your name?
    → verb heita in 2nd person singular: heitir

  • Ég á vin sem býr í Reykjavík.
    I have a friend who lives in Reykjavík.
    → verb búa in 3rd person singular: býr

  • Hún er að læra íslensku.
    She is learning Icelandic.
    → construction er að læra – is learning

6. Short dialogues in daily situations

Shopping

  • A: Hvað kostar þetta?
    How much does this cost?

  • B: Þetta kostar tvö þúsund krónur.
    This costs two thousand krónur.

At a restaurant

  • A: Ég vil fá kaffi.
    I would like a coffee.

  • B: Viltu mjólk með?
    Would you like milk with that?

Meeting someone

  • A: Komdu sæll / sæl!
    Hi! / Nice to see you! (to a man / to a woman)

  • B: Hvað segir þú gott?
    How are you? (literally: What good are you saying?)

These short dialogues show how basic grammar appears in natural speech.

Interactive exercises

To really learn Icelandic grammar, theory is not enough.
Use interactive exercises, repetition and your own example sentences to practise:

  • noun declensions in different cases

  • verb conjugations in the present and past

  • adjective endings with different genders

  • numerals in everyday phrases

Regular practice will help you quickly feel at home with Icelandic structures and use them confidently in real conversations.

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