binda ("to bind, to tie") is a strong verb of Class 3, and it is the cleanest member of that class to show off its most striking feature: a preterite singular that collapses the nasal cluster nd into a doubled tt, giving batt ("bound/tied," sg.). The full series runs i – a – u – o: present bind, preterite singular batt, preterite plural bundu, supine bundið. That is the same skeleton as finna ("find": finn, fann, fundu, fundið), drekka ("drink": drekk, drakk, drukku, drukkið) and vinna ("work/win": vinn, vann, unnu, unnið) — the family of Class-3 verbs whose stems contain a nasal. Learn binda as a class member and the past tense of all of them stops being a surprise. This page gives the full paradigm, explains the nd → tt alternation, and covers the everyday idioms binda saman and binda enda á.
Conjugation
Class: strong, Class 3 (the i – a – u – o series, nasal subgroup). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef bundið "I have bound/tied." Object case: accusative (binda eitthvað "tie something"); the thing you tie to takes við + accusative.
| Principal parts | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | að binda |
| 1sg present | bind |
| 1sg past | batt |
| 3pl past | bundu |
| Supine | bundið |
| Person | Present (nútíð) | Past (þátíð) |
|---|---|---|
| ég | bind | batt |
| þú | bindur | bast |
| hann / hún / það | bindur | batt |
| við | bindum | bundum |
| þið | bindið | bunduð |
| þeir / þær / þau | binda | bundu |
| Person | Present subjunctive | Past subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| ég | bindi | byndi |
| þú | bindir | byndir |
| hann / hún / það | bindi | byndi |
| við | bindum | byndum |
| þið | bindið | bynduð |
| þeir / þær / þau | bindi | byndu |
| Non-finite & imperative | |
|---|---|
| Imperative (þú) | bindu! |
| Imperative (þið) | bindið! |
| Supine | bundið |
| Past participle (m/f/n) | bundinn / bundin / bundið |
| Present participle | bindandi |
| Middle voice (miðmynd) | bindast — "to bind oneself / become bound (to)"; bindast samtökum "join forces" |
The Class-3 vowel series: bind – batt – bundu – bundið
Strong verbs signal the past by changing the stem vowel (ablaut), not by adding an ending. Class 3 runs through i – a – u – o, and binda sits in the nasal subgroup alongside finna, drekka, vinna, renna and spinna — verbs whose stem has a nasal (n, nn, nd, ng):
| Slot | Vowel | binda (bind) | finna (find) | drekka (drink) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | i | bind | finn | drekk |
| Past sg. | a | batt | fann | drakk |
| Past pl. | u | bundu | fundu | drukku |
| Supine | u → o (written) | bundið | fundið | drukkið |
The pay-off of treating binda as a class member is that you stop memorising verbs one at a time. Hear batt and you know the present is bind and the plural bundu; meet fundu and you can rebuild finn / fann. The past plural and the supine always share the same u-coloured stem (bundu / bundið), which is your reliable anchor across the whole class.
Ég bind alltaf reimarnar tvöföldum hnút svo þær losni ekki.
I always tie my laces in a double knot so they don't come undone. Present singular 'bind' (i).
Hún batt hárið í tagl áður en hún byrjaði að elda.
She tied her hair into a ponytail before she started cooking. Past singular 'batt' (nd → tt).
Þeir bundu bátinn við bryggjuna og fóru í land.
They tied the boat to the jetty and went ashore. Past plural 'bundu' (u) + 'við' for what it's tied to.
Why batt? The nd → tt of the preterite singular
This is the form worth understanding rather than just memorising. The stem of binda ends in -nd-. In the preterite singular, the ablaut vowel is a (the regular Class-3 past-singular vowel, just as in fann, drakk), and the historical singular form had no surviving consonantal ending after the stem — the cluster nd assimilated and fortified into a geminate tt. So underlying band- surfaces as batt. Compare the rest of the nasal subgroup: where the stem ends in plain -nn-, you get a single -nn form (finna → fann, vinna → vann); where it ends in -nd-, you get the doubled -tt (binda → batt, standa → stóð is a different pattern, but vinda → vatt, spinna → spann show the family resemblance). The takeaway: binda → batt, not the regularised *bandi or the weak *bindaði.
The 2nd person singular is bast (þú bast), where the -st ending meets the stem; and the past subjunctive fronts the vowel to y: byndi.
Þú bast hnútinn of laust — sjáðu, hann er að rakna upp.
You tied the knot too loosely — look, it's coming undone. 2sg past 'bast'.
Ef ég byndi þetta fastar myndi það kannski halda.
If I tied this more tightly it might hold. Past subjunctive 'byndi' (fronted y).
Everyday idioms: binda saman, binda enda á, binda um
binda is rich in fixed expressions:
- binda saman — "tie together, connect" (binda saman þræðina "tie the threads together," literally and figuratively).
- binda enda á (+ accusative) — "put an end to, bring to a close" (binda enda á stríðið "put an end to the war"). A very common formal/journalistic idiom.
- binda um (+ accusative) — "bandage, dress (a wound)" (binda um sárið "bandage the wound").
- bindast (middle) — "bind oneself, become bound": bindast samtökum ("join forces, band together"), bindast böndum ("form ties / a bond").
Nýi samningurinn á að binda enda á áralanga deilu.
The new agreement is meant to put an end to a years-long dispute. Idiom 'binda enda á' + accusative. (journalistic register)
Hjúkrunarfræðingurinn batt um sárið og sendi mig heim.
The nurse bandaged the wound and sent me home. Idiom 'binda um' + accusative, past 'batt'.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ég bindaði skóna mína.
Incorrect — 'binda' is strong, not weak; there is no '-aði'. The past singular is the ablaut form 'batt'.
✅ Ég batt skóna mína.
I tied my shoes. Past singular 'batt'.
❌ Hún bandi hárið í tagl.
Incorrect — the preterite singular is 'batt' (nd → tt), not '*bandi'. ('bandi' isn't a real form here.)
✅ Hún batt hárið í tagl.
She tied her hair into a ponytail. Past 'batt'.
❌ Þeir bättu bátinn við bryggjuna.
Incorrect — the past PLURAL takes the u-stem, not the singular a/tt: it's 'bundu', not '*bättu'.
✅ Þeir bundu bátinn við bryggjuna.
They tied the boat to the jetty. Past plural 'bundu'.
❌ Ég hef battið þetta nú þegar.
Incorrect — the supine is 'bundið' (u-stem), not '*battið' (which smuggles in the past-singular tt).
✅ Ég hef bundið þetta nú þegar.
I've already tied this. Supine 'bundið'.
❌ Samningurinn á að binda enda á deiluna.
This one is actually CORRECT — included to confirm the idiom: 'binda enda á' + accusative 'deiluna'.
✅ Samningurinn á að binda enda á deiluna.
The agreement is meant to put an end to the dispute. Idiom 'binda enda á' + accusative.
Key Takeaways
- bind / batt / bundu / bundið — a strong Class-3 verb on the i–a–u–o series; never weak (not "bindaði").
- The headline form is the preterite singular batt: the stem's nd collapses to a doubled tt. The 2sg is bast; the past plural restores the u-stem (bundu); supine bundið; participle bundinn.
- Same nasal subgroup as finna (fann), drekka (drakk), vinna (vann) — learn the series once and the past tense of all of them follows.
- Object is accusative (binda eitthvað); key idioms: binda saman, binda enda á (+ acc., "put an end to"), binda um (+ acc., "bandage"), and the middle bindast ("bind oneself, join forces").
- Auxiliary is hafa (ég hef bundið); past subjunctive is byndi.
Now practice Icelandic
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Icelandic→Related Topics
- finna (to find / feel)A2 — Full conjugation of the strong Class-3 verb finna (finn / fann / fundu / fundið), with the past plural fundum, the all-important middle voice finnast ('seem'), the dative-experiencer mér finnst 'I think', and finna fyrir 'to sense'.
- drekka (to drink)A2 — Full conjugation of the strong Class-3 verb drekka (drekk / drakk / drukku / drukkið), with the i–a–u vowel series, the preaspirated double kk, the supine drukkið for the perfect, and the accusative object it governs.
- syngja (to sing)B1 — Full conjugation of the strong Class-3 verb syngja (syng / söng / sungu / sungið), with its four-vowel ablaut series i–ö–u–u (the same pattern as drekka and finna), the past-singular u-umlaut söng, syngja fyrir ('sing for'), and the derived noun söngur ('singing / song').
- Strong Verb Class Reference KeyB1 — A navigation hub for the seven Icelandic strong-verb ablaut classes — each with its vowel series (infinitive – preterite singular – preterite plural – supine) and 2–3 exemplar verbs — so that knowing a verb's class lets you predict its whole paradigm. Turns ~150 strong verbs into seven patterns plus exceptions.
- Strong Verb Classes 1-3B1 — The first three ablaut classes of Icelandic strong verbs and their vowel series: Class 1 (í–ei–i–i: bíta → beit, bitu, bitið), Class 2 (jó/jú–au–u–o: bjóða → bauð, buðu, boðið), and Class 3 (e/i–a–u–o: verða → varð, urðu, orðið; finna → fann, fundu) — including some of the highest-frequency verbs in the language.
- Strong Verbs and Ablaut: OverviewA2 — The strong verb system: verbs that build the past by changing their stem vowel (ablaut) instead of adding an ending, with FOUR principal parts — infinitive, preterite singular, preterite plural, supine — and the crucial split where the past singular and past plural can carry different vowels (fann vs fundu).