{"id":58,"date":"2011-09-08T10:52:40","date_gmt":"2011-09-08T10:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/?p=58"},"modified":"2012-02-02T09:39:30","modified_gmt":"2012-02-02T09:39:30","slug":"grammar-learned-in-icelandic-first-semester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/2011\/09\/08\/grammar-learned-in-icelandic-first-semester\/","title":{"rendered":"Grammar learned in Icelandic first semester"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a list of the grammar you learn in the Bachelor’s Degree Icelandic for Foreigners course at the University of Iceland, in the first semester. If you take the degree course you’re basically expected to know this stuff already<\/strong> or you’re expected to be able to learn it in two days to a week. I’ve explained the rules for some things that might be harder to find elsewhere, but if you want me to explain anything in this post (or explain it better), then just ask. I’m not saying my grammar explanations are perfect, I’ve seen my textbooks and teachers have mistakes and I might have made mistakes when I was copying the info down.<\/p>\n

(All cases for everything were covered but past tense wasn’t covered.)<\/p>\n

Gender of nouns and adjectives
\nDefinite articles
\nPersonal pronouns
\nJ\u00e1 vs. j\u00fa usage
\nPossessive pronouns
\nPast tense (briefly but not completely?)
\nImperative (commands)
\nUsing heiman\/heima\/heim, ofan\/uppi\/upp, ne\u00f0an\/ni\u00f0ri\/ni\u00f0ur, innan\/inni\/inn, utan\/\u00fati\/\u00fat (coming from\/no movement is happening\/leaving)
\nDirection words
\nOrdinal (dates) and cardinal (regular) numbers
\nWho\/what\/when\/where\/why question words (all cases)<\/p>\n

\u00deurfa vs. ver\u00f0a: “must\/need”<\/strong>
\nVer\u00f0a is “stronger”.
\n\u00de\u00fa \u00fearft a\u00f0 kaupa mj\u00f3lk. \u00dea\u00f0 er l\u00edti\u00f0 til af mj\u00f3lk \u00ed \u00edssk\u00e1pnum.<\/em> You have to buy milk. There’s little left of the milk in the fridge.
\n\u00c9g ver\u00f0 a\u00f0 kaupa \u00ed matinn fyrir kl. 6. \u00dea\u00f0 er enginn matur til \u00ed h\u00fasinu.<\/em> I need to buy food for six o’clock. There’s no food left in the house.<\/p>\n

Eiga vs. skulu: “shall”.<\/strong>
\nSkulu is never used in questions, is used for asking advice, giving suggestions, and is used when offering\/promising.
\nEiga is used in questions and instructions.<\/p>\n

Eiga vs. hafa vs. vera me\u00f0:<\/strong> to own\/have\/be with
\nEiga is a thing owned by the subject of the sentence (\u00e9g \u00e1 \u00feessa b\u00f3k<\/em> – I own this book), or it indicates social relationship (\u00feau eiga tv\u00f6 b\u00f6rn<\/em> – they have two children).<\/p>\n

Hafa is used for owning something abstract (not physical, \u00e9g hef ekki t\u00edma n\u00fana<\/em> – I don’t have time now) and is used like “I have<\/em> read this book” just like in English.<\/p>\n

Vera me\u00f0 is used for body parts, illnesses, clothes, accessories (scarves etc.), or if the object of the sentence is something the subject is carrying temporarily (Anna er me\u00f0 b\u00f3kina<\/em> – Anna has the book [with her right now]).<\/p>\n

\u00c9g \u00e1 b\u00f3kina en \u00e9g er ekki me\u00f0 hana n\u00fana<\/em>. I own the book but I don’t have it with me now.
\n\u00c9g \u00e1 enga peninga<\/em>. I don’t have any money\/I’m broke.
\n\u00c9g er ekki me\u00f0 peninga<\/em>. I don’t have any money on me.<\/p>\n

J-innskot (J-insertion):<\/strong>
\nIf a stem ends in \u00fd, \u00e6, ey, g, or k there’s a j added between the stem and the ending in singular plural and third person plural in the present tense.
\nExamples: fl\u00fdja, deyja, hl\u00e6ja, leggja, hringja, syngja.<\/p>\n

If the stem ends on other sounds then a j is inserted in all plural forms in the present.
\nExamples: telja, spyrja, sitja<\/p>\n

If the stem ends in \u00fd, \u00e6, or ey and the ending starts with a or u, then a j is inserted.
\nExamples: n\u00fdr, b\u00e6r, Laufey<\/p>\n

Exceptions: tala, heyra, koma, taka, auka<\/p>\n

A-vixl: (A-mutation)<\/strong>
\nIn the stem of a word, a changes to \u00f6 if the ending starts on the vowel u or if there’s no ending. If the previous vowel in a stem is a but the second isn’t, a-vixl doesn’t happen. If there are two vowels and the second vowel is an a, it changes to u instead.
\nExamples: \u00c9g tala – vi\u00f0 t\u00f6lum. Barn – b\u00f6rn. Hundra\u00f0 – Hundru\u00f0.<\/p>\n

B-vixl:<\/strong>
\nThe B-vixl encompasses many vowel changes instead of just one like with the A-vixl. It’s in the present singular in strong verbs, never in weak verbs.<\/p>\n

A to e: fara (\u00e9g fer)
\n\u00f6 to e: st\u00f6kkva (\u00e9g stekk)
\no to e: koma (\u00e9g kem)<\/p>\n

o to \u00e6: \u00fevo (\u00e9g \u00fev\u00e6)
\n\u00f3 to \u00e6: r\u00f3a (\u00e9g r\u00e6)
\n\u00e1 to \u00e6: l\u00e1ta (\u00e9g l\u00e6t)<\/p>\n

\u00fa to \u00fd: s\u00fapa (\u00e9g s\u00fdp)
\nj\u00fa to \u00fd: flj\u00faga (\u00e9g fl\u00fdg)
\nj\u00f3 to \u00fd: bj\u00f3\u00f0a (\u00e9g b\u00fd\u00f0)<\/p>\n

au to ey: auka (\u00e9g eyk)
\nj\u00e1 to \u00e9: sj\u00e1 (\u00e9g s\u00e9) – Remember that \u00e9 isn’t just \u00e9, it’s actually je (and that’s still the sound it makes even if it’s spelled differently). That might help you to remember.<\/p>\n

C-v\u00edxl:<\/strong>
\nHappens in the past and with past participles, with strong verbs. Strong verbs that have four mismatching stem-changes have the C-vixl. (This is all the C-vixl is to my knowledge, there’s no real pattern to it that I can list.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a list of the grammar you learn in the Bachelor’s Degree Icelandic for Foreigners course at the University of Iceland, in the first semester. If you take the degree course you’re basically expected to know this stuff already or you’re expected to be able to learn it in two days to a week…<\/p>\n

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