hlaupa ("to run") is a strong Class-7 verb, and it earns its difficulty honestly: it shows three different stem vowels across the paradigm. The present has au → ey (ég hleyp), the preterite singular has ó (ég hljóp), and the preterite plural has u (við hlupum). The supine returns to au (hlaupið). There is no shortcut — you memorise hleyp – hljóp – hlupu – hlaupið the way you memorise English "run – ran – run", except Icelandic gives you a fourth shape. This page lays out the full paradigm, the voiceless hl- onset that confuses learners' ears, the accusative used for motion through a space, and the middle-voice idiom hlaupast undan ("to shirk, dodge a duty").
Conjugation
Class: strong, Class 7 (the reduplicating/"miscellaneous" class). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef hlaupið "I have run." Watch the vowel move between blocks: present hleyp-, preterite singular hljóp-, preterite plural hlup-, supine hlaup-.
| Principal parts | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | að hlaupa |
| 1sg present | hleyp |
| 1sg past | hljóp |
| 3pl past | hlupu |
| Supine | hlaupið |
| Person | Present (nútíð) | Past (þátíð) |
|---|---|---|
| ég | hleyp | hljóp |
| þú | hleypur | hljópst |
| hann / hún / það | hleypur | hljóp |
| við | hlaupum | hlupum |
| þið | hlaupið | hlupuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | hlaupa | hlupu |
| Person | Present subjunctive | Past subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| ég | hlaupi | hlypi |
| þú | hlaupir | hlypir |
| hann / hún / það | hlaupi | hlypi |
| við | hlaupum | hlypum |
| þið | hlaupið | hlypuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | hlaupi | hlypu |
| Non-finite & imperative | |
|---|---|
| Imperative (þú) | hlauptu |
| Imperative (þið) | hlaupið! |
| Supine | hlaupið |
| Past participle (m/f/n) | hlaupinn / hlaupin / hlaupið |
| Present participle | hlaupandi |
| Middle voice (miðmynd) | hlaupast (undan) — "to shirk, dodge" |
The present: hleyp / hleypur — the au → ey shift
Strong Class-7 verbs whose infinitive has au often raise it to ey in the present singular (a relic of i-umlaut). So although the infinitive is hlaupa, "I run" is ég hleyp and "he runs" is hann hleypur — not hann hlaupur. The plural restores the infinitive vowel: við hlaupum, þið hlaupið, þeir hlaupa.
Ég hleyp á hverjum morgni áður en ég fer í vinnuna.
I run every morning before I go to work. (present singular 'hleyp', with ey)
Hún hleypur miklu hraðar en ég.
She runs much faster than I do.
The past: hljóp (sg.) vs hlupu (pl.)
This is the heart of the verb. The preterite singular has ó — ég hljóp, hann hljóp ("I/he ran"). The preterite plural drops to a short u — við hlupum, þeir hlupu ("we/they ran"). English speakers, used to one past-tense form ("ran" for everyone), almost always over-extend hljóp into the plural and say hljópum. The correct plural is hlupum.
Ég hljóp alla leið heim í rigningunni.
I ran all the way home in the rain. (past singular 'hljóp')
Þau hlupu út úr húsinu þegar viðvörunin hljómaði.
They ran out of the house when the alarm sounded. (past plural 'hlupu', short u)
The supine: hlaupið
The perfect uses hlaupið with hafa — back to the au of the infinitive, with the strong-verb -ið ending: ég hef hlaupið ("I have run"). Don't let the past-tense ó leak in here; it is hlaupið, not hljópið.
Ég hef aldrei hlaupið heilt maraþon, en mig langar að prófa.
I've never run a whole marathon, but I'd like to try. (supine 'hlaupið')
Motion: hlaupa + accusative for the path
When hlaupa describes movement through or across a space, the path is marked with the accusative (the motion sense of a two-case preposition, or a bare accusative of extent). So hlaupa um bæinn ("run around town") and hlaupa inn ("run in") take accusative goals; the contrast with a static location (dative) is exactly the motion-vs-location split that governs Icelandic spatial prepositions generally.
Krakkarnir hlupu um allan garðinn.
The kids ran all over the garden. (motion through space → accusative 'garðinn')
Hann hljóp inn í eldhúsið og náði í síma.
He ran into the kitchen and grabbed a phone. (motion 'inn í' + accusative)
The voiceless hl- onset
The cluster hl- at the start of hlaupa is a voiceless l — you breathe the h through the l rather than pronouncing them as two separate sounds. English has no voiceless l, so learners either drop the h (saying laupa) or insert a vowel. Getting the voiceless sonorant right is part of sounding native; it is the same onset as in hlæja, hljóð, hlusta.
The middle voice: hlaupast undan
The -st form hlaupast is mostly idiomatic: hlaupast undan means "to shirk, to dodge (a duty or responsibility)" — literally "run oneself out from under" something. The preterite follows the active stem: hann hljópst undan ábyrgðinni ("he dodged the responsibility").
Hann reyndi að hlaupast undan ábyrgðinni, en það gekk ekki.
He tried to shirk the responsibility, but it didn't work. (middle 'hlaupast undan')
Common Mistakes
❌ Ég hlaupaði í gær.
Incorrect — hlaupa is strong, not weak; there is no '-aði'. The past is 'hljóp'.
✅ Ég hljóp í gær.
I ran yesterday.
❌ Við hljópum í skólann.
Incorrect — the past PLURAL changes vowel to short u: 'hlupum', not 'hljópum'.
✅ Við hlupum í skólann.
We ran to school.
❌ Hann hlaupur hratt.
Incorrect — the present singular raises au → ey: 'hleypur', not 'hlaupur'.
✅ Hann hleypur hratt.
He runs fast.
❌ Ég hef hljópið alla leið.
Incorrect — the supine keeps the infinitive vowel: 'hlaupið', not 'hljópið'.
✅ Ég hef hlaupið alla leið.
I've run the whole way.
Key Takeaways
- hleyp / hleypur (present), hljóp / hljóp / hlupum / hlupu (past), hlaupið (supine) — a strong Class-7 verb with three stem vowels.
- The deadliest trap is the past plural: it is hlupum/hlupu (short u), not hljópum.
- Present singular raises au → ey (hleyp, hleypur); the supine returns to au (hlaupið).
- Motion through space takes the accusative (hlaupa um garðinn, hlaupa inn í eldhúsið).
- hl- is a voiceless l; hlaupast undan = "shirk." Auxiliary is hafa: ég hef hlaupið.
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