elska ("to love") is a fully regular weak Class-1 verb — the same predictable machinery as tala and borða. There is nothing irregular in its conjugation, and because the stem vowel is e (not a), it never triggers u-umlaut: you say við elskum, not "ölskum." The interesting part of elska is therefore not its forms but its use: it governs the accusative, it leans on the reflexive possessive sinn when you love your own people, and Icelandic reserves elska for strong love, using þykja vænt um for ordinary fondness.
Conjugation
Class: weak, Class 1 (the -aði preterite). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef elskað "I have loved."
| Principal parts | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | að elska |
| 3sg present | elskar |
| 3sg past | elskaði |
| Supine | elskað |
| Person | Present (nútíð) | Past (þátíð) |
|---|---|---|
| ég | elska | elskaði |
| þú | elskar | elskaðir |
| hann / hún / það | elskar | elskaði |
| við | elskum | elskuðum |
| þið | elskið | elskuðuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | elska | elskuðu |
| Person | Present subjunctive | Past subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| ég | elski | elskaði |
| þú | elskir | elskaðir |
| hann / hún / það | elski | elskaði |
| við | elskum | elskuðum |
| þið | elskið | elskuðuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | elski | elskuðu |
| Non-finite & imperative | |
|---|---|
| Imperative (þú) | elskaðu |
| Imperative (þið) | elskið! |
| Supine | elskað |
| Past participle (m/f/n) | elskaður / elskuð / elskað |
| Middle voice (miðmynd) | elskast — "to love each other" |
A model regular verb — but watch the -u- endings
Everything about elska's conjugation follows the Class-1 rule mechanically: drop the -a, add -aði for the past (elskaði). The only thing to notice is that endings beginning with -u- round the a of the -að- suffix to u: the past plural is elskuðum / elskuðuð / elskuðu (not "elskaðum"). This is the same -uð- you saw in töluðu, borðuðu, and every other Class-1 verb — a consistent, learnable pattern.
Ég elska þig meira en orð fá lýst.
I love you more than words can say.
Hún elskaði afa sinn af öllu hjarta.
She loved her grandfather with all her heart.
Við elskum að ferðast saman.
We love to travel together.
elska + accusative
elska takes a plain accusative object — no preposition. The classic line ég elska þig uses the accusative þig ("you"). This is straightforward for English speakers, who also love someone "directly," but you must still put the object in the accusative case: manninn, börnin, lífið.
Þau elska börnin sín skilyrðislaust.
They love their children unconditionally.
Ég elskaði þessa borg frá fyrsta degi.
I loved this city from the first day.
elska … sinn — loving your own
When the thing you love belongs to the subject, Icelandic uses the reflexive possessive sinn / sína / sitt rather than hans / hennar. Hún elskar manninn sinn means "she loves her (own) husband"; hún elskar manninn hennar would mean she loves another woman's husband. This distinction is invisible in English "her," so it is a frequent slip.
Hann elskar konuna sína út af lífinu.
He loves his wife to bits.
Allir foreldrar elska börnin sín.
All parents love their children.
elska vs þykja vænt um
Icelanders use elska for deep, romantic, or intense love and reserve þykja vænt um (+ accusative) — literally "to find dear about" — for ordinary affection: friends, colleagues, a cosy café. Saying ég elska þig to a casual friend sounds as heavy in Icelandic as in English; mér þykir vænt um þig is the warm, non-romantic register.
Mér þykir mjög vænt um vinkonu mína.
I'm very fond of my friend.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ég elska þú.
Incorrect — elska takes the accusative; the object form of þú is þig
✅ Ég elska þig.
I love you.
❌ Við ölskum hvort annað.
Incorrect — elska is an e-stem, so there is no u-umlaut; 'we love' is elskum
✅ Við elskum hvort annað.
We love each other.
❌ Hún elskar manninn hennar.
Misleading — 'hennar' means another woman's husband; for her own, use the reflexive sinn
✅ Hún elskar manninn sinn.
She loves her (own) husband.
❌ Ég elskaður þig í gær.
Incorrect — the finite past is elskaði; elskaður is the participle, not a 1sg verb
✅ Ég elskaði þig.
I loved you.
Key Takeaways
- elska / elskar / elskaði / elskað — model weak Class 1, fully regular -aði past.
- No u-umlaut: the e-stem means við elskum, past plural elskuðum — never an ö.
- elska takes a plain accusative: ég elska þig.
- Use the reflexive possessive sinn when you love your own people: hún elskar manninn sinn.
- For ordinary fondness, prefer þykja vænt um
- accusative over elska.
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- The Weak Preterite: -aði, -di, -ði, -tiA2 — How to choose and form the weak past tense — Class-1 -a verbs take -aði (tala → talaði, plural töluðum), Class-2 verbs take the short dental -di/-ði/-ti picked by the preceding sound (reyndi, dæmdi, keypti) — with the full tala paradigm and the 'when in doubt, -aði' default for unknown verbs.