bjóða ("to offer; to invite") is a high-frequency strong verb of Class 2, and it carries two features that catch learners out at once: a present-singular i-umlaut that fronts the stem vowel jó to ý (so "I offer" is býð, not *bjóð), and a dative object — you offer or invite something to someone, bjóða einhverjum. Get those two right and the rest is the regular Class-2 machine. The class runs on the vowel series jó – au – u – o: present býð (from underlying bjóð-), preterite singular bauð, preterite plural buðu, supine boðið. The same series powers fljúga ("fly"), ljúga ("lie, tell an untruth") and njóta ("enjoy"), so what you learn on bjóða transfers straight across.
Conjugation
Class: strong, Class 2 (the jó – au – u – o series). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef boðið "I have offered/invited." Object case: dative (bjóða einhverjum eitthvað "offer someone something").
| Principal parts | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | að bjóða |
| 1sg present | býð |
| 1sg past | bauð |
| 3pl past | buðu |
| Supine | boðið |
| Person | Present (nútíð) | Past (þátíð) |
|---|---|---|
| ég | býð | bauð |
| þú | býður | bauðst |
| hann / hún / það | býður | bauð |
| við | bjóðum | buðum |
| þið | bjóðið | buðuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | bjóða | buðu |
| Person | Present subjunctive | Past subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| ég | bjóði | byði |
| þú | bjóðir | byðir |
| hann / hún / það | bjóði | byði |
| við | bjóðum | byðum |
| þið | bjóðið | byðuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | bjóði | byðu |
| Non-finite & imperative | |
|---|---|
| Imperative (þú) | bjóddu |
| Imperative (þið) | bjóðið! |
| Supine | boðið |
| Past participle (m/f/n) | boðinn / boðin / boðið |
| Present participle | bjóðandi |
| Middle voice (miðmynd) | bjóðast — "to be offered / to offer oneself" |
The present-singular i-umlaut: býð, not bjóð
This is the feature to internalise first. In Class 2, the present singular fronts the stem vowel by i-umlaut — the historical present-singular ending contained an i, which pulled jó forward to ý. So:
- Singular: ég býð, þú býður, hann býður — fronted ý.
- Plural: við bjóðum, þið bjóðið, þeir bjóða — original jó.
So "I offer you a coffee" is ég býð þér kaffi, never \ég bjóð þér kaffi. The same split hits the whole class: *fljúga → ég flýg but við fljúgum; ljúga → ég lýg but við ljúgum; njóta → ég nýt but við njótum. Watch the singular front; let the plural keep the diphthong.
Ég býð þér í mat á sunnudaginn — kemurðu?
I'm inviting you to dinner on Sunday — will you come? Present singular 'býð' (i-umlaut ý) + dative object 'þér'.
Fyrirtækið býður upp á frítt kaffi handa starfsfólkinu.
The company offers free coffee for the staff. Present singular 'býður' (3sg) — 'bjóða upp á' = 'offer, provide'.
Við bjóðum öllum nágrönnunum í garðveisluna.
We're inviting all the neighbours to the garden party. Present plural 'bjóðum' — keeps jó, with dative object 'öllum nágrönnunum'.
The dative object: bjóða einhverjum
bjóða takes a dative object, not the accusative an English speaker expects from "invite someone." You invite or offer to someone — bjóða einhverjum — and the thing offered, when present, is a second (accusative) object: bjóða einhverjum eitthvað, "offer someone something." This is the recipient-in-the-dative logic that runs through Icelandic giving and offering verbs (gefa, rétta, senda). So "I invited her" is ég bauð henni (dative henni), not \ég bauð hana*.
Hann bauð okkur öllum í afmælið sitt.
He invited all of us to his birthday. Past 'bauð' + dative object 'okkur'.
Má ég bjóða þér eitthvað að drekka?
May I offer you something to drink? Infinitive 'bjóða' + dative 'þér' (recipient) + 'eitthvað að drekka' (the thing offered).
The past: bauð (sg.) vs buðu (pl.)
As with every strong verb, the preterite singular and plural have different stem vowels — au in the singular, short u in the plural. "They invited us" needs the plural buðu (þau buðu okkur); "she invited us" needs the singular bauð (hún bauð okkur). The supine and participle drop to o: boðið, boðinn.
Þau buðu okkur að gista í sumarbústaðnum.
They invited us to stay at the summer cottage. Past plural 'buðu' (short u), dative object 'okkur'.
Mér var boðið í brúðkaupið en ég komst ekki.
I was invited to the wedding but couldn't make it. Supine 'boðið' in an impersonal passive (with dative 'mér') — note the o vowel.
The middle voice: bjóðast
The -st middle bjóðast is common and useful. It most often means "to be offered" or "to offer itself / come up" — as in tækifærið bauðst ("the opportunity came up / presented itself") — and, with a dative subject, "to be offered something": mér bauðst vinna ("I was offered a job," literally "to me offered-itself a job"). It conjugates as bjóða + -st, so the same býðst / bauðst / buðust / boðist irregularity carries over.
Mér bauðst spennandi starf úti á landi.
I was offered an exciting job out in the countryside. Middle 'bauðst' with dative subject 'mér' — 'be offered'.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ég bjóð þér í mat.
Incorrect — the present singular fronts the vowel: 'býð', not '*bjóð'. The plain jó stays only in the plural (bjóðum).
✅ Ég býð þér í mat.
I'm inviting you to dinner. Present singular 'býð' (i-umlaut ý).
❌ Hann bauð okkur öll í afmælið.
Incorrect — 'bjóða' takes a dative object, so it's 'okkur' in the dative... here the form 'okkur' is fine, but the quantifier must be dative too: 'okkur öllum', not the accusative 'öll'.
✅ Hann bauð okkur öllum í afmælið.
He invited all of us to the birthday. Dative throughout: 'okkur öllum'.
❌ Þau bjóðuðu okkur að gista.
Incorrect — 'bjóða' is strong, not weak; there is no '-uðu'. The past plural is 'buðu'.
✅ Þau buðu okkur að gista.
They invited us to stay. Past plural 'buðu'.
❌ Ég hef bauðið honum oft.
Incorrect — the supine has the o vowel: 'boðið', not '*bauðið' (that mixes in the singular-past au).
✅ Ég hef boðið honum oft.
I've invited him often. Supine 'boðið' + dative 'honum'.
❌ Má ég bjóða þig eitthvað að drekka?
Incorrect — the recipient is dative: 'þér', not the accusative 'þig'. 'bjóða' = offer/invite TO someone.
✅ Má ég bjóða þér eitthvað að drekka?
May I offer you something to drink? Dative recipient 'þér'.
Key Takeaways
- býð / býður (present sg., i-umlaut ý), bjóðum / bjóðið / bjóða (present pl., keeps jó); past bauð (sg.) / buðu (pl.); supine boðið; participle boðinn.
- The class series is jó – au – u – o, shared with fljúga, ljúga, njóta — learn it once, reuse it across Class 2.
- The present singular fronts the vowel: it is ég býð, never \ég bjóð*. The plural keeps the diphthong.
- bjóða takes a dative object: bjóða einhverjum (eitthvað) — "offer/invite TO someone (something)." Never the accusative *bjóða einhvern.
- Auxiliary is hafa (ég hef boðið); the middle bjóðast = "be offered / come up" (mér bauðst vinna).
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