kalla ("to call, to name") is the cleanest possible model of a weak Class-1 verb — the -aði preterite class that covers the overwhelming majority of Icelandic verbs. There is not a single irregularity in its endings; the only thing that ever changes is the predictable u-umlaut that turns a into ö before any -u- ending (köllum, kölluðum). Because it is so regular, kalla is also the template Icelandic reaches for when it absorbs new loan verbs — gúgla "to google," skrolla "to scroll," and daðla all conjugate exactly like kalla. Master this paradigm and you can conjugate thousands of verbs on sight.
Conjugation
Class: weak, Class 1 (the -aði preterite). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef kallað "I have called."
| Principal parts | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | að kalla |
| 3sg present | kallar |
| 3sg past | kallaði |
| Supine | kallað |
| Person | Present (nútíð) | Past (þátíð) |
|---|---|---|
| ég | kalla | kallaði |
| þú | kallar | kallaðir |
| hann / hún / það | kallar | kallaði |
| við | köllum | kölluðum |
| þið | kallið | kölluðuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | kalla | kölluðu |
| Person | Present subjunctive | Past subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| ég | kalli | kallaði |
| þú | kallir | kallaðir |
| hann / hún / það | kalli | kallaði |
| við | köllum | kölluðum |
| þið | kallið | kölluðuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | kalli | kölluðu |
| Non-finite & imperative | |
|---|---|
| Imperative (þú) | kallaðu |
| Imperative (þið) | kallið! |
| Supine | kallað |
| Past participle (m/f/n) | kallaður / kölluð / kallað |
| Middle voice (miðmynd) | kallast — "to be called / be named" |
kalla — basic "call, shout"
In its core sense kalla means to call out or shout — to raise your voice so someone hears you.
Hann kallaði á mig en ég heyrði ekki.
He called out to me but I didn't hear.
Af hverju ertu að kalla svona hátt?
Why are you calling out so loudly?
Mamma kallaði á okkur í matinn.
Mum called us in for dinner.
kalla á — "call for / summon" (+ accusative)
The fixed combination kalla á + accusative means to call for someone or something — to summon them. English "call" leaves the relationship implicit; Icelandic marks it with á.
Við urðum að kalla á lögregluna.
We had to call the police.
Eigum við að kalla á leigubíl?
Should we call a taxi?
kalla X Y — "call X (by the name) Y"
To say what someone or something is called, use kalla with two objects: the thing in the accusative and the name as a predicate, also in the accusative (kalla X Y). This is how you give nicknames.
Allir kalla hann Nonna, þó að hann heiti Jón.
Everyone calls him Nonni, even though his name is Jón.
kallast — the middle voice "to be called"
The -st middle voice kallast means "to be called / to be named" — it is the everyday way to ask or state what something is called, very often preferred over a passive.
Hvað kallast þetta á íslensku?
What is this called in Icelandic?
Þessi fjörður kallast Eyjafjörður.
This fjord is called Eyjafjörður.
Common Mistakes
❌ Við kallum á þig.
Incorrect — the -um ending triggers u-umlaut, so the stem a becomes ö
✅ Við köllum á þig.
We're calling out to you.
❌ Þau kalluðu á lækni.
Incorrect — the past plural also takes u-umlaut: kölluðu, not 'kalluðu'
✅ Þau kölluðu á lækni.
They called for a doctor.
❌ Ég kallaði þig í gær.
Incorrect — to call OUT TO someone is kalla á + accusative; without á it sounds incomplete
✅ Ég kallaði á þig í gær.
I called out to you yesterday.
❌ Hvað kallar þetta á íslensku?
Incorrect — for 'what is this called', use the middle voice kallast, not active kalla
✅ Hvað kallast þetta á íslensku?
What is this called in Icelandic?
Key Takeaways
- kalla / kallar / kallaði / kallað — the model weak Class-1 verb, with the fully regular -aði past.
- u-umlaut: a → ö before any -u- ending — við köllum, past plural k*ölluðum / kölluðu*, feminine participle *kö*lluð.
- kalla á
- accusative = "call for, summon"; kalla X Y = "call X (by the name) Y."
- The middle voice kallast = "to be called / be named" — the natural way to ask what something is called.
- This is the default pattern for new loan verbs (gúgla, skrolla); auxiliary is hafa (ég hef kallað).
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Start learning Icelandic→Related Topics
- Present Tense: Weak VerbsA1 — The present conjugation of the weak verb classes — the kalla-class (kalla, kallar, köllum…), the dæma/reyna -i-class (ég dæmi, ég reyni), and the j-class (telja → tel, teljum) — including the 1pl u-umlaut and the key split over whether the 1sg is bare or -i.
- 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.
- Person and Number EndingsA1 — The agreement endings shared across the Icelandic verb system — -∅/-r/-r/-um/-ið/-a — so that once you know a verb's stem you can conjugate it, including the hidden u-umlaut that rounds a→ö in the 'we' form (köllum, tökum).