Icelandic Verbs

Welcome to the 10th lesson about verbs in Icelandic. We will first learn about the present tense, followed by the past tense, and future tense. We will also analyze some grammar rules, and finally practice how to ask for direction in Icelandic.

Verbs are used to express an action (I swim) or a state of being (I am). The present tense in Icelandic conveys a situation or event in the present time. Here are some examples:

Present Tense - Icelandic
I speak English ég tala ensku
you speak French þú talar frönsku
he speaks German hann talar þýsku
she speaks Italian hún talar ítölsku
we speak Arabic við tölum arabísku
they speak Chinese þeir tala kínversku

The past tense in Icelandic conveys a situation or event in the past time. Here are some examples:

Past Tense - Icelandic
I visited France ég heimsótti frakkland
you visited Italy þú heimsóttir ítalíu
he visited Morocco hann heimsótti marokkó
she visited China hún heimsótti kína
we visited Mexico við heimsóttum mexíkó
they visited Kenya þau heimsóttu kenía

The future tense in Icelandic conveys a situation or event which is anticipated to happen in the future. Here are some examples:

Future Tense - Icelandic
I will drink milk ég mun drekka mjólk
you will drink coffee þú munt drekka kaffi
he will drink tea hann mun drekka te
she will drink water hún mun drekka vatn
we will drink apple juice við munum drekka eplasafa
they will drink tea þeir munu drekka te

Now let's take a break and refresh our vocabulary by learning the body parts.

ear eyra

eye auga

mouth munnur

nose nef

hair hár

face andlit

head höfuð

heart hjarta

hand hönd

fingers fingur

leg fótur

feet fætur

Travel Phrases in Icelandic

Imagine yourself in some Icelandic speaking country. The following travel phrases are highly important and can help you avoid misunderstanding. Try to memorize them and practice!

English - Icelandic
Can you help me? geturðu hjálpað mér?
Can I help you? get ég hjálpað þér?
Where is the airport? hvar er flugvöllurinn?
Go straight farðu beint áfram
Then svo
Turn left beygðu til vinstri
Turn right beygðu til hægri

I hope this lesson about the verbs in Icelandic was not hard for you. Please check out our main menu here for more lessons: homepage. To see the full menu, you can also click on the "Menu" icon on the left side.