Lesson Two - Kennstustund Tvö
I would like to introduce you to the pronouns. Then for Lesson Three, we'll get off the grammar road map (for a bit) to try out some greeting phrases and days of the week!
Subject Pronouns
-In Icelandic, subject pronouns indeed have to agree with cases.
I, you, he, she, it
ég, þú, hann, hún, það
we, you (plural), they
við, þið, þeir (masculine "they"), þær (feminine "they"), þau (neuter "they")
Hann, hún, and það are a little different from English way. Hann can be also masculine "it", hún as feminine "it", and það as neuter "it." For example...This is a rose and it is red.--->
Þessi er rós og hún er rauð.
me, you, him, her, it
mig, þig, hann, hana, það
us, you (plural), them
okkur, ykkur, þá (masculine), þær (feminine), þau (neuter)
Dative
mér, þér, honum, henni, því
okkur, ykkur, þeim (all three genders)
Genitive
mín, þín, hans, hennar, þess
okkar, ykkar, þeirra (all three genders)
Possessive Pronouns
-If you studied German, you should not be surprised that Icelandic has a complex way of saying "my", "your", "his", and etc.
Well, to ease the anxiety, if you know the definite articles well, then it won't be that hard since the possessive nouns endings are exactly like the articles!
Minn (my)
Masculine
Nominative Singular/Nominative Plural
Minn/Mínir
Accusative Singular/Nominative Plural
Minn/Mína
Dative Singular/Dative Plural
Mínum/Mínum
Genitive Singular/Genitive Plural
Míns/Mínna
Feminine
Mín/Mínar
Mína/Mínar
Minni/Mínum
Minnar/Mínna
Neuter
Mitt/Mín
Mitt/Mín
Mínu/Mínum
Míns/Mínna
Notice that the Dative and Genitive Plural are all the same in the genders.
Þinn (your) and
Sinn (his, her, its, their) work the same way as minn.
His, her, its, their, our
hans, hennar, þess, þeirra, okkar
And it's for all cases and numbers.
There is another word for "our" which is
vor, but that word is for formal usages, literatures, and poems.
It has slightly a different conjugation from the rest.
Vor (our)
Masculine Singular (N, A, D, G)
vor, vorn, vorum, vors
vorir, vora, vorum, vorra
Feminine
vor, vora, vorri, vorrar
vorar, vorar, vorum, vora
Neuter
vort, vort, voru, vors
vor, vor, vorum, vora
In Icelandic, the possessive pronouns go after the noun, unlike English and other languages.
I love my children!
Ég elska börn mín
This is my friend
Þessi er vinur minn
Here is our car!
Hér er bíllinn okkar!
That is his house.
Það er húsið hans.
If you are using nouns that is a thing, and not a person, then a correct definite article must be attached to the noun along with a possessive pronoun. But god, there are exceptions for not adding articles for people. Icelandic grammar is full of exceptions!
My farm
Bærinn minn
My dog
Hundurinn minn
My money
Peningarnir mínir
But never...
My mother
Móðirin mín...it's
móðir mín
Your friend
Vinurinn þinn...
vinur þinn
His brother
Bróðirinn hans...
bróðir hans
Now for
sinn (his, her, its, their), well...it's a trickly, even the Icelanders can get confused when to use this. It's a reflexive possessive pronoun. In English, we usually use poss. pronoun + own + noun, like "his own friend."
Hann talar við vin sinn. He talks to his own friend.
Þetta er bróðir hans. This is his brother.
Ólafur talar við vin sinn. Ólafur is talking to his own friend.
Ólafur talar við vin hans. Ólafur is talking to somebody else's friend.
Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian also work this way.
Actually, don't worry too much about
sinn.
Demonstrative Pronouns
"This/These" and "That/Those" have their own conjugations.
Sá (That/Those)
Masculine Singular (N, A, D, G)
sá, þann, þeim, þeirra
Masculine plural (N, A, D, G)
þeir, þá, þeim, þeirra
Feminine
sú, þá, þeirri, þeirrar
þær, þær, þeim, þeirra
Neuter
það, það, því, þess
þau, þau, þeim, þeirra
Þessi (This/These)
Masculine
þessi, þenna, þessum, þessa
þessir, þessa, þessum, þessara
Feminine
þessi, þessa, þessari, þessarar
þessar, þessar, þessum, þessara
Neuter
þetta, þetta, þessu, þessa
þessi, þessi, þessum, þessara
They are constructed in the same way as English, and unlike possessives, they do not go after the noun.
That horse is black.
Sá hestur er svartur.
This is my good friend.
Þessi er góður vinur minn.
Já já já! Vertu sæææælllll!!!
(Yes yes yes! Goodbyeeee!!!
)