aka ("to drive") is a strong Class-6 verb on the a – ó – ó – a series of fara, taka and grafa, and it comes with two things English speakers consistently get wrong. First, like all Class-6 verbs it shifts its present-singular vowel from a to e — ég ek, not *ak — and takes u-umlaut in the plural ökum. Second, and more important, aka governs the dative of the vehicle: you do not drive a car-accusative, you drive to/by a car-dative — aka bílnum, never *aka bílinn. This dative is the verb's fixed frame, shared with the whole family of Icelandic "travel-by-vehicle" verbs (ríða hestinum "ride the horse," sigla skipinu "sail the ship," fljúga vélinni "fly the plane"). One register note frames everything else: aka is the formal/written verb for driving; in everyday speech most Icelanders say keyra, which takes the accusative (keyra bílinn). Choosing between them, and getting the case right for each, is the real skill this card teaches.
Conjugation
Class: strong, Class 6 (the a – ó – ó – a series). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef ekið "I have driven." Object case: ⭐ dative of the vehicle (aka bílnum "drive the car"). Note the present-singular shift a → e (ek, ekur) and the u-umlaut a → ö in ökum.
| Principal parts | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | að aka |
| 1sg present | ek |
| 1sg past | ók |
| 3pl past | óku |
| Supine | ekið |
| Person | Present (nútíð) | Past (þátíð) |
|---|---|---|
| ég | ek | ók |
| þú | ekur | ókst |
| hann / hún / það | ekur | ók |
| við | ökum | ókum |
| þið | akið | ókuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | aka | óku |
| Person | Present subjunctive | Past subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| ég | aki | æki |
| þú | akir | ækir |
| hann / hún / það | aki | æki |
| við | ökum | ækjum |
| þið | akið | ækjuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | aki | ækju |
| Non-finite & imperative | |
|---|---|
| Imperative (þú) | ak / aktu |
| Imperative (þið) | akið! |
| Supine | ekið |
| Past participle (m/f/n) | ekinn / ekin / ekið |
| Present participle | akandi (also "on foot/by car" sense in set phrases) |
| Middle voice (miðmynd) | akast — rare; aka is normally active |
The Class-6 series, shared with fara, taka, grafa
aka conjugates exactly like the other Class-6 verbs: the long ó runs through the whole preterite, singular and plural alike (ók = óku), and the supine returns to a (ekið). It even shows the same present-singular fronting (a → e) that you saw in grafa and fara:
| Verb | Pres. sg. | Past sg. | Past pl. | Supine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| fara (go) | fer | fór | fóru | farið |
| taka (take) | tek | tók | tóku | tekið |
| grafa (dig) | gref | gróf | grófu | grafið |
| aka (drive) | ek | ók | óku | ekið |
The supine ekið shows the a → e fronting too (an i-umlaut-like alternation Class 6 inherited), but the participle is ekinn / ekin / ekið. As with every Class-6 verb, there is no singular/plural past split to memorise — ók covers both.
Hann ók norður á Akureyri í gær.
He drove north to Akureyri yesterday. Past singular ók (long ó); intransitive 'drove' (the route is the goal).
Þau óku alla nóttina til að ná í tæka tíð.
They drove all night to arrive in time. Past plural óku — same ó as the singular.
Hefurðu einhvern tíma ekið svona langt á einum degi?
Have you ever driven this far in a single day? Supine ekið in the perfect, with hafa.
Present forms: ek and ökum
- Singular: a → e. ég ek, þú ekur, hann/hún/það ekur. Never *ak / *akur. The infinitive's a fronts to e in the present singular — the Class-6 pattern.
- 1st-person plural: u-umlaut a → ö. við ökum. The -um ending rounds the a to ö.
- 2nd/3rd plural keep a. þið akið, þeir aka.
Ég ek varlega þegar það er hálka.
I drive carefully when it's icy. Present singular ek (a→e); the formal/written register of 'drive'.
Við ökum yfir heiðina á morgun ef veðrið leyfir.
We'll drive over the moor tomorrow if the weather allows. Present plural ökum (u-umlaut a→ö).
⭐ The case frame: dative of the vehicle
This is the crux. aka governs the dative of the vehicle being driven. The car, bus, lorry or tractor you are driving goes in the dative:
- aka bílnum — drive the car (dative bílnum, not *bílinn)
- aka rútunni — drive the bus/coach (dative rútunni)
- aka traktornum — drive the tractor (dative traktornum)
aka belongs to the Icelandic class of vehicle-and-motion verbs that take a dative: ríða ("ride," ríða hestinum), sigla ("sail," sigla skipinu), fljúga ("fly," fljúga vélinni), róa ("row"), keyra in some uses. The underlying idea is that the dative marks the means/instrument of motion — you are travelling by means of the vehicle — which is why the case differs from a plain transitive object. You can also use aka intransitively ("drive [somewhere]"), with the destination in a prepositional phrase and no dative at all: aka heim ("drive home"), aka af stað ("set off, drive away," literally "drive from [the] place").
Pabbi ók gamla Land Rovernum upp á hálendið.
Dad drove the old Land Rover up into the highlands. aka + DATIVE (Land Rovernum); the vehicle is dative.
Við ókum af stað í býtið til að forðast umferðina.
We set off bright and early to avoid the traffic. Intransitive aka af stað ('set off'); no dative object here.
Hún ekur strætisvagninum á línu 14 á morgnana.
She drives the number-14 bus in the mornings. Present ekur + dative strætisvagninum (her job).
Register: aka (formal) vs keyra (colloquial)
This is the practical heart of the card. aka is the formal, written, official verb for driving. You meet it in the traffic laws (umferðarlög), on road signs (Akið varlega "Drive carefully"), in the news, and in careful prose. In everyday spoken Icelandic, though, people overwhelmingly say keyra ("drive"). Two differences matter:
- Register. aka = formal/written; keyra = colloquial/neutral spoken. Using aka in casual chat sounds bookish; using keyra in a statute would look out of place.
- Case. aka takes the dative (aka bílnum), but keyra normally takes the accusative (keyra bílinn). So switching verbs also switches the case of the car.
A learner who wants to sound natural in conversation should default to keyra (and put the car in the accusative) but recognise and read aka everywhere in writing and signage. keyra also has the handy sense "give someone a lift": keyra einhvern heim ("drive someone home").
Ég keyri þig heim, það er ekkert mál.
I'll drive you home, it's no trouble. Colloquial keyra (accusative þig); the everyday spoken choice over aka.
Akið að settum hraðatakmörkunum.
Drive within the posted speed limits. Formal aka (imperative akið), as on a road sign or in the traffic code.
Common Mistakes
❌ Hann ók bílinn norður.
Wrong case — aka governs the DATIVE of the vehicle: bílnum, not the accusative bílinn.
✅ Hann ók bílnum norður.
He drove the car north. (aka + dative: bílnum)
The signature aka error. The vehicle is dative: aka bílnum, rútunni, vélinni. (If you want accusative, switch to keyra: keyra bílinn.)
❌ Ég ak of hratt í morgun.
Wrong present vowel — the present singular shifts a→e: ek, not the infinitive-vowel *ak.
✅ Ég ek of hratt í morgun.
I'm driving too fast this morning. (present singular ek, a→e)
Present singular is ek / ekur, never *ak / *akur — the Class-6 present fronting, as in grafa → gref.
❌ Ég akaði alla leiðina sjálfur.
Regularising a strong verb — aka has no weak '-aði' past. The past is the strong ók.
✅ Ég ók alla leiðina sjálfur.
I drove the whole way myself. (strong past singular ók)
aka is strong: past ók / óku, supine ekið. No *akaði.
❌ Við akum yfir fjallið á morgun.
Missing u-umlaut — the present 1pl is ökum (a→ö), not akum.
✅ Við ökum yfir fjallið á morgun.
We'll drive over the mountain tomorrow. (present 1pl ökum, u-umlaut)
The -um ending forces u-umlaut: 1pl is ökum, not *akum.
❌ Eigum við bara að aka bílnum í bæinn? — í daglegu spjalli.
Register mismatch — in casual speech this sounds bookish; the natural spoken choice is keyra (accusative): keyra bílinn.
✅ Eigum við bara að keyra bílinn í bæinn?
Shall we just drive the car into town? (colloquial keyra + accusative bílinn for everyday speech)
aka is not wrong here, but it is formal/written. In conversation Icelanders reach for keyra (with the accusative).
Key Takeaways
- aka is strong Class 6: principal parts ek – ók – óku – ekið, series a – ó – ó – a; auxiliary hafa.
- The preterite ó is the same in singular and plural (ók = óku); the present singular shifts a → e (ek, ekur), and the 1pl has u-umlaut (ökum). Supine ekið.
- ⭐ aka governs the DATIVE of the vehicle: aka bílnum, rútunni, vélinni — one of the Icelandic vehicle/motion verbs (with ríða, sigla, fljúga). It is also used intransitively: aka heim, aka af stað.
- Register: aka is formal/written (laws, news, road signs); everyday speech uses keyra, which takes the accusative (keyra bílinn) and also means "give a lift."
- Switching the verb switches the case of the car: aka bílnum (dat.) vs keyra bílinn (acc.).
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