grípa ("to grab, to seize, to catch") is a strong Class 1 verb on the familiar í – ei – i – i series: present gríp, preterite singular greip, preterite plural gripu, supine gripið. If you know bíta and skína, the conjugation holds no surprises — only the consonants change. What makes grípa worth its own page is not the paradigm but the prepositions it lives with, each carrying a different case and a different meaning: grípa í + accusative ("grab at / fill in for"), grípa til + genitive ("resort to"), and grípa inn í ("intervene"). Get the verb stem right and then get the preposition-and-case combinations right, and you have a high-frequency verb under full control.
Conjugation
Class: strong, Class 1 (the í–ei–i–i series). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef gripið tækifærið "I have seized the opportunity." The stem vowel moves through the series; everything else is regular.
| Principal parts | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | að grípa |
| 1sg present | gríp |
| 1sg past | greip |
| 3pl past | gripu |
| Supine | gripið |
| Person | Present (nútíð) | Past (þátíð) |
|---|---|---|
| ég | gríp | greip |
| þú | grípur | greipst |
| hann / hún / það | grípur | greip |
| við | grípum | gripum |
| þið | grípið | gripuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | grípa | gripu |
| Person | Present subjunctive | Past subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| ég | grípi | gripi |
| þú | grípir | gripir |
| hann / hún / það | grípi | gripi |
| við | grípum | gripum |
| þið | grípið | gripuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | grípi | gripu |
| Non-finite & imperative | |
|---|---|
| Imperative (þú) | gríptu |
| Imperative (þið) | grípið! |
| Supine | gripið |
| Past participle (m/f/n) | gripinn / gripin / gripið |
| Present participle | grípandi |
| Middle voice (miðmynd) | grípast — "grab/seize one another", e.g. grípast í hönd |
Plain transitive: grípa + accusative
In its bare form grípa is transitive with an accusative object — to catch or snatch something: grípa boltann ("catch the ball"), grípa tækifærið ("seize the opportunity"). It implies a quick, decisive motion, exactly like English "grab" or "catch."
Hún greip símann um leið og hann hringdi.
She grabbed the phone the moment it rang. (past singular 'greip' + accusative)
Markvörðurinn greip boltann auðveldlega.
The goalkeeper caught the ball easily. (past singular 'greip')
grípa í + accusative — grab at, fill in for
With í + accusative, grípa means to grab at something, take hold of it: grípa í handriðið ("grab the handrail"). Idiomatically, grípa í a task or instrument means to "have a quick go at / dip into" it, and grípa í fyrir einhvern is to "fill in / cover for someone." The accusative is the motion case of í — you are reaching into contact.
Ég greip í handriðið svo ég dytti ekki í hálkunni.
I grabbed the handrail so I wouldn't fall on the ice. (grípa í + accusative)
Hún grípur stundum í gítarinn á kvöldin.
She sometimes picks up the guitar in the evenings. (grípa í = dip into, have a go at)
grípa til + GENITIVE — resort to
This is the combination to memorise, because the case is the surprise: grípa til takes the genitive, and it means "to resort to, to fall back on, to take (a measure)." The fixed phrase grípa til þess ráðs ("resort to that course of action") is everywhere in news and formal speech. Grípa til aðgerða ("take action / take measures") is the standard administrative phrase. Note the genitive endings: ráðs, aðgerða, örþrifaráða.
Stjórnin neyddist til að grípa til harðra aðgerða.
The government was forced to resort to harsh measures. (grípa til + genitive 'aðgerða')
Þegar ekkert annað gekk greip hann til þess ráðs að hringja í lögfræðing.
When nothing else worked he resorted to calling a lawyer. (greip til þess ráðs — genitive)
grípa inn í — intervene, step in
grípa inn í ("grab into") is the idiom for intervening in a situation or a process. It can stand alone (lögreglan greip inn í "the police intervened") or take í + accusative to name what is intervened in (grípa inn í atburðarásina "intervene in the course of events").
Dómarinn varð að grípa inn í þegar leikmennirnir fóru að rífast.
The referee had to step in when the players started arguing. (grípa inn í = intervene)
The reciprocal middle: grípast
The -st form grípast is reciprocal — to grab or take hold of one another — most often in the set phrase grípast í hönd / grípast hendi ("clasp each other's hands"). It follows the active strong stem plus -st: past þau gripust í hönd ("they clasped hands").
Þau gripust í hönd og hlupu út í regnið.
They clasped hands and ran out into the rain. (reciprocal middle 'gripust')
Common Mistakes
❌ Ég grípaði tækifærið.
Incorrect — grípa is strong Class 1, not weak; the past is 'greip', never '-aði'.
✅ Ég greip tækifærið.
I seized the opportunity.
❌ Þau greipu boltann.
Incorrect — the past PLURAL has short i: 'gripu', not 'greipu'.
✅ Þau gripu boltann.
They caught the ball.
❌ Stjórnin greip til aðgerðir.
Incorrect — grípa til takes the GENITIVE, not the accusative: 'aðgerða', not 'aðgerðir'.
✅ Stjórnin greip til aðgerða.
The government took action.
❌ Lögreglan greip inn í málinu.
Incorrect — grípa inn í governs í + accusative, not dative: 'í málið', not 'í málinu'.
✅ Lögreglan greip inn í málið.
The police intervened in the matter.
Key Takeaways
- gríp / greip / gripu / gripið — strong Class 1, the í – ei – i – i series shared with bíta and skína.
- Bare grípa is transitive + accusative: grípa boltann, grípa tækifærið.
- The prepositions carry the meaning: grípa í
- acc ("grab at / fill in"), grípa til
- GENITIVE ("resort to" — grípa til aðgerða / þess ráðs), grípa inn í
- acc ("intervene").
- GENITIVE ("resort to" — grípa til aðgerða / þess ráðs), grípa inn í
- acc ("grab at / fill in"), grípa til
- The headline trap is the genitive after grípa til — aðgerða, not aðgerðir.
- The reciprocal middle is grípast (e.g. grípast í hönd "clasp hands"); auxiliary is hafa.
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