hlæja ("to laugh") is one of the most irregular verbs you will meet at A2, and there is no way around memorising it — but it is worth the effort, because it is everywhere in everyday speech. The present looks gentle (ég hlæ, hann hlær), and then the past tense detonates: "I laughed" is ég hló, "we laughed" is við hlógum, with an ó that appears from nowhere. The supine is hlegið, different again. This is a genuinely strong, irregular verb; the honest advice is to learn the four shapes hlæ / hlær / hló / hlegið by heart rather than hunting for a rule. The page also covers the one construction you need: hlæja að + dative = "laugh at."
Conjugation
Class: strong, irregular. Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef hlegið "I have laughed." There is no single clean stem: the present is hlæ-, the past is hló-/hlóg-, and the supine is hleg-. Treat each block as something to memorise.
| Principal parts | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | að hlæja |
| 1sg present | hlæ |
| 1sg past | hló |
| Supine | hlegið |
| Person | Present (nútíð) | Past (þátíð) |
|---|---|---|
| ég | hlæ | hló |
| þú | hlærð | hlóst |
| hann / hún / það | hlær | hló |
| við | hlæjum | hlógum |
| þið | hlæið | hlóguð |
| þeir / þær / þau | hlæja | hlógu |
| Person | Present subjunctive | Past subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| ég | hlæi | hlægi |
| þú | hlæir | hlægir |
| hann / hún / það | hlæi | hlægi |
| við | hlæjum | hlægjum |
| þið | hlæið | hlægjuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | hlæi | hlægju |
| Non-finite & imperative | |
|---|---|
| Imperative (þú) | hlæðu |
| Imperative (þið) | hlæið! |
| Supine | hlegið |
| Past participle (n) | hlegið |
| Present participle | hlæjandi |
The present: hlæ / hlærð / hlær
The present singular is short and unusual: ég hlæ, þú hlærð, hann hlær. The 2nd person hlærð fuses the stem with the -rð ending in a way no other A2 verb does, so it rewards a moment's attention. The plural is more regular: hlæjum / hlæið / hlæja, with the j surfacing before back vowels.
Af hverju hlærðu? Þetta var ekkert fyndið.
Why are you laughing? That wasn't funny at all.
Við hlæjum alltaf mikið þegar við hittumst.
We always laugh a lot when we get together.
The past: hló / hlóst / hló / hlógum
Here is the irregularity that defines the verb. The past has an ó throughout: singular hló / hlóst / hló, plural hlógum / hlóguð / hlógu (with a g surfacing in the plural). There is no -aði and no -di — this is a strong verb, and you must recognise hló and hlógum on sight.
Allir hlógu þegar hann datt í pollinn.
Everyone laughed when he fell in the puddle.
Ég hló svo mikið að ég grét.
I laughed so hard that I cried.
The supine: hlegið
The perfect uses the supine hlegið with hafa: ég hef hlegið ("I have laughed"). It looks like neither the present nor the past — a third, separate shape to file away.
Ég hef aldrei hlegið jafn mikið á ævinni.
I've never laughed so much in my life.
hlæja að + dative — "laugh at"
To laugh at something or someone, use hlæja að + dative. The preposition að governs the dative here, so a joke — nominative brandari — surfaces as brandara (indefinite dative) or brandaranum (definite dative): hlæja að brandaranum ("laugh at the joke"). The case is the thing to watch, since English "at" gives you no hint. Note the social nuance too: hlæja að einhverjum ("laugh at someone") is mocking, exactly as in English.
Við hlógum öll að brandaranum.
We all laughed at the joke.
Ekki hlæja að mér — ég er að reyna mitt besta!
Don't laugh at me — I'm trying my best!
hlæja vs. brosa — laugh vs. smile
Keep hlæja ("laugh," out loud) distinct from brosa ("smile") — a separate, fully regular weak verb. Icelandic does not blur the two the way casual English sometimes does.
Hún brosti bara, en systir hennar hló upphátt.
She just smiled, but her sister laughed out loud.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ég hlæjaði að brandaranum.
Incorrect — hlæja is strong; the past is hló, not a regularised -aði
✅ Ég hló að brandaranum.
I laughed at the joke.
❌ Við hlóum þegar við sáum hann.
Incorrect — the past plural keeps the g: it's hlógum, not hlóum
✅ Við hlógum þegar við sáum hann.
We laughed when we saw him.
❌ Ég hef hlæjt allan daginn.
Incorrect — the supine is hlegið, not a regularised form; ég hef hlegið
✅ Ég hef hlegið allan daginn.
I've been laughing all day.
❌ Þau hlógu að brandarann.
Incorrect — hlæja að governs the dative, so it's brandaranum, not the accusative brandarann
✅ Þau hlógu að brandaranum.
They laughed at the joke.
Key Takeaways
- hlæ / hlærð / hlær (present), hló / hlóst / hló / hlógum / hlóguð / hlógu (past), hlegið (supine) — a strong, irregular verb. Memorise the chant hlæ – hlær – hló – hlegið.
- The past has a surprise ó throughout, with a g in the plural (hlógum).
- hlæja að
- dative = "laugh at" (hlæja að brandaranum); hlæja að einhverjum is mocking.
- Don't confuse with brosa ("smile"), a separate regular weak verb.
- Auxiliary is hafa: ég hef hlegið.
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