Alarics modern Icelandic magic sheet, version 2.

1
nouns (most common in bold, with examples with the suffixed definite article in brackets)

adjectives

strong
masculine
a-plural

-nn, -ll

weak

neuter

feminine

masc.

neuter

strong

weak

possessive adjective
(example, strong only)

fem.
masc.

neuter

fem.

masc.

neuter

fem.

masc.

neuter

fem.

i-plural

weird

ir-plural

ar-plural ur-pl.

N. sg. fiskur(-inn) steinn

staur

kttur

land(-i)

kvi

mynd(-in)

grein

bk

nemi

hjarta

saga

N. sg. langur

langt

lng

langi

langa

langa

minn

mitt

mn

A.

fisk(-inn)

stein

sta

ktt

land(-i)

kvi

mynd(-ina)

grein

bk

nema

hjarta

sgu

A.

langan

langt

langa

langa

langa

lngu

minn

mitt

mna

G.

fisks(-ins)

steins

staar

kattar

lands(-ins)

kvis

myndar(-innar)

greinar

bkar

nema

hjarta

sgu

G.

langs

langs

langrar

langa

langa

lngu

mns

mns

minnar

D.

fiski(-num)

steini

sta

ketti

landi(-nu)

kvi

mynd(-inni)

grein

bk

nema

hjarta

sgu

D.

lngum lngu

langri

langa

langa

lngu

mnum mnu

minni

N. pl.

fiskar(-nir)

steinar

stair

kettir

lnd(-in)

kvi

myndir(-nar)

greinar

bkur

nemar

hjrtu

sgur

N. pl.

langir

lng

langar

lngu

lngu

lngu

mnir

mn

mnar

A.

fiska(-na)

steina

stai

ketti

lnd(-in)

kvi

myndir(-nar)

greinar

bkur

nema

hjrtu

sgur

A.

langa

lng

langar

lngu

lngu

lngu

mna

mn

mnar

G.

fiska(-nna)

steina

staa

katta

landa(-nna)

kva

mynda(-nna)

greina

bka

nema

hjartna

sagna

G.

langra

langra

langra

lngu

lngu

lngu

minna

minna

minna

D.

fiskum
(fiskunum)

steinum stum kttum lndum

(lndunum)

D.

lngum lngum lngum lngum

lngum

lngum mnum mnum

kvum myndum
(myndunum)

greinum bkum nemum hjrtum sgum

verbs (with examples of the reflexive and subjunctive forms for groups 1 and 5)
group 1
tlast

group 2

group 3

group 4

gera

skilja

ba

fara

tla

imp. s.

tla(u)

ger(u)

skil(du)

b(u)

far(u)

imp. pl.

tli

geri

skilji

bi

fari

pres. part. tlandi

past part.

tla

tlast
indicative

present
st

active

reflexive

farandi

gert

fari

skili

bi

to be

farast

gerandi skiljandi bandi

subjunctive

pronouns

group 5

infinitive

active

vera
ver

verandi
farist

indicative

veri
subj.

indic.

subj.

refl.

1 sg.

tla

tlast

tli

geri

skil

fer

ferst

fari

er

2nd

tlar

tlast

tlir

gerir

skilur

br

fer

ferst

farir

ert

srt

rd

tlar

tlast

tli

gerir

skilur

br

fer

ferst

fari

er

1st pl.

tlum

tlumst

tlum

gerum

skiljum

bum

frum

frumst

frum

erum

sum

nd

tli

tlist

tli

geri

skilji

bi

fari

farist

fari

eru

su

rd

tla

tlast

tli

gera

skilja

ba

fara

farast

fari

eru

su

2
3

mnum

past

1st

sound-changes
u-mutation: a when followed by u
becomes (when stressed) or u (when
unstressed). Thus saga saga, but sgur
sagas; gamall old (masculine nominative
singular), but gmul old (feminine
nominative singular). Sometimes the u
has been lost, but its effects remain, as in
land land, but lnd lands (< *landu).
i-mutation: when followed by an i or j,
usually now lost, vowels changed thus: a,
o, > e; , > ; , j, j > ; u > y; au
> ey.

2nd

3rd person
masc.

neuter

fem.

reflexive

N sg. g

hann

hn

mig

ig

hann

hana

sig

mn

hans

ess

hennar

sn

mr

honum v

henni

sr

N pl.

vi

eir

au

okkur ykkur

au

sig

okkar ykkar

eirra

eirra

eirra

sn

okkur ykkur

eim

eim

eim

sr

demonstrative pronouns
it/that/those
masc.

indefinite pronoun

this/these

some, something

neut.

fem.

masc.

neuter

fem.

masc.

neuter

fem.

N sg. s

essi

etta

essi

nokkur

nokku/nokkurt

nokkur

ennan

etta

essa

nokkurn

nokku/nokkurt

nokkra

essa

essarar

nokkurs

nokkurs

nokkurrar

1 sg.

tlai

tlaist

tlai

geri

skildi

bj

fr

frst

fri

var

vri

ann

2nd

tlair

tlaist

tlair

gerir

skildir

bjst

frst

frst

frir

varst

vrir

ess

ess

eirrar essa

3rd

tlai

tlaist

tlai

geri

skildi

bj

fr

frst

fri

var

vri

eim

eirri

essum essu

essari

nokkrum

nokkru

nokkurri

1st pl.

tluum tluumst tluum gerum skildum

bjuggum frum

frumst

frum

vorum vrum

N pl.

eir

au

essir

essi

essar

nokkrir

nokkur

nokkrar

2nd

tluu

tluust

tluu

geru

skildu

bjuggu

fru

frust

fru

voru

vru

au

essa

essi

essar

nokkra

nokkur

nokkrar

tluu

tluust

tluu

geru

skildu

bjuggu

fru

frust

fru

voru

vru

eirra

eirra eirra

essara essara

essara

nokkurra

nokkurra

nokkurra

eim

eim

essum essum

essum

nokkrum

nokkrum

nokkrum

st

rd

glossary: fiskur fish; staur place; kttur cat; steinn stone; land land; kvi poem; mynd picture; grein
article; bk book; bogi bow; hjarta heart; saga story, history; langr long; minn my, mine; tla intend; gera do,
make; skilja understand, divide; ba live, dwell; fara travel, go; vera be.

eim

What is case?
Cases are the different forms that nouns, pronouns and adjectives take in some languages when their grammatical function changes. In English,
nouns dont really have casesbut pronouns do. Take an English sentence, substitute the third person masculine pronoun for a noun phrase, and
youll find yourself automatically changing the case of the pronoun, depending on whether its a subject, object or possessive!
case and number

1st person 3rd person function

pronoun
pronoun

nominative singular

accusative singular

me

he

him

modern English examples

Icelandic examples

the subject
I ate a fish.
(the thing that does the verb) lafur ate a fish.
lafur and the cat ate a fish.

g t fisk.
lafur t fisk.
lafur og ktturinn tu fisk.

the object
The fish ate me.
(the thing the verb is done to) lafur ate a fish.
lafur ate a fish and the cat.

Fiskurinn t mig.
lafur t fisk.
lafur t fisk ok kttinn.

genitive singular

my

his

a noun/pronoun in the
genitive possesses another
noun

His sword was black.

He ate the cats fish.
The history of the cat was long.

Hans sver var svart.

Hann t fisk kattarins.
Saga kattarins var lng.

dative singular

(to, from,
with, by,
etc.) me

(to, from,
with, by,
etc.) him

various things, principally:

indirect objects, words after a
preposition, words taking the
role of a preposition.

I gave him a name.

He was on the land.
Hn er k gulli she is
thatched with gold

g gaf nafn honum.

Hann var landinu.
Hn er k gulli.

nominative plural
accusative plural

we
us

genitive plural
(almost always ends
in -a in Icelandic!)

our

dative plural
(almost always ends
in -um in Icelandic!)

(to, from,
with, by,
etc.) us

they
them
their

(to, from,
with, by,
etc.) them

the subject
They ate lafur.
(the thing that does the verb) Giants eat people.

eir tu lf.
Jtnar ta menn.

the object
The Vikings wounded them.
(the thing the verb is done to) The dog ate giants.

Vkingarnir sru .
Hundurinn t jtna.

a noun/pronoun in the
genitive possesses another
noun

My dogs ate their fish.

Mnir hundar tu eirra fisk.
I broke Vikings bones.
g braut vkinga bein.
The bones of the Vikings broke. Bein vkinga brutu.

various things, principally:

indirect objects, words after a
preposition, words taking the
role of a preposition.

He gave them names.

He lived with giants.
Keyru eir sporum they drove
with their spurs.

Hann gaf nfn eim.

Hann bj me jtnum.
Keyru eir sporum.

What do the terms in the verbs box mean?

Unlike normal verbs, the infinitive doesnt change its form according to person or tense: in I want to run, he wants to run, I wanted to run, the
main verb want changes, but the infinitive run stays the same. As in that sentence, infinitives always depend on other verbs.
Imperatives are commands like get out! stop! etc. They can be singular (commanding one person) or plural (commanding several).
Participles are verbs that have been turned into adjectives, and have different forms depending on whether they refer to the present or the
pastas in the breaking bridge (cf. the bridge breaks, present), the broken bridge (cf. the bridge broke, past). Past participles turn up a lot with
the verb to have/hafa, in constructions like g hef gert brna I have made the bridge, eir hafa skili they have understood.
In Icelandic, indicative verbs are basically ordinary verbs, used when what you say is a simple statement of the truth. Subjunctives are used
in uncertain or hypothetical situations, in phrases like if I were rich, I would buy Alaric presents and may you shrivel and die.
alt-codes to type cool Icelandic characters on a UK keyboard.
For the vowels , , , and , you will probably find that if you hold down AltGr and type the vowel, youll get the desired output.
For other letters, or the vowels if that doesnt work, use alt-codes. You can find a list, for example, here: http://code.knopok.net/alt-codes.html.

none, no-one
masculine

neuter

feminine

N sg.

enginn

ekkert

engin

engan

ekkert

enga

einskis

einskis

engrar

engum

engu

engri

N pl.

engir

engin

engar

enga

engin

engar

engra

engra

engra

engum

engum

engum

numerals
masculine

neuter

feminine

N sg.

einn

eitt

ein

einn

eitt

eina

eins

eins

einar

einum

einu

einni

N pl.

einir

ein

einar

eina

ein

einar

einna

einna

einna

einum

einum

einum

N pl.

tveir

tv

tvr

tvo

tv

tvr

tveggja

tveggja

tveggja

tveimur

tveimur

tveimur

N pl.

rr

rj

rjr

rj

rj

rjr

riggja

riggja

riggja

remur

remur

remur

N pl.

fjrir

fjgur

fjrar

fjra

fjgur

fjrar

fjgurra

fjgurra

fjgurra

fjrum

fjrum

fjrum

fimm (5), sex (6), sj (7), tta (8), nu (9), tu (10),

ellefu (11), tlf (12), rttn (13), fjrtn (14),
fimmtn (15), sextn (16), sautjn (17), tjn (18),
ntjn (19), tuttugu (20), tuttugu og einn (21), tuttugu
og tveir (22), rjtu (30), fjrutu (40), fimmtu (50),
sextu (60), sjtu (70), ttatu (80), nutu (90), (eitt)
hundra (100), (eitt) sund (1,000), (ein) miljn
(1,000,000).