kíkja ("to peek, to take a quick look, to pop in") is one of the friendliest, most-used verbs in spoken Icelandic — and it is almost invisible in textbooks. It means glancing at something quickly, but far more often it means dropping by: Ég kíki á þig á eftir ("I'll pop by later"), eigum við að kíkja í búð? ("shall we pop into a shop?"). It is a regular weak Class-2 verb with a clean -t past (kíkti, kíkt). What you really need to learn is not the conjugation but the casual, warm register: kíkja is what you say to friends, not in a formal letter.
Conjugation
Class: weak, Class 2 (the -i- / -ti type: past in -ti, supine in -t). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef kíkt "I have had a look / I've popped by."
| Principal parts | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | að kíkja |
| 3sg present | kíkir |
| 3sg past | kíkti |
| Supine | kíkt |
| Person | Present (nútíð) | Past (þátíð) |
|---|---|---|
| ég | kíki | kíkti |
| þú | kíkir | kíktir |
| hann / hún / það | kíkir | kíkti |
| við | kíkjum | kíktum |
| þið | kíkið | kíktuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | kíkja | kíktu |
| Person | Present subjunctive | Past subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| ég | kíki | kíkti |
| þú | kíkir | kíktir |
| hann / hún / það | kíki | kíkti |
| við | kíkjum | kíktum |
| þið | kíkið | kíktuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | kíki | kíktu |
| Non-finite & imperative | |
|---|---|
| Imperative (þú) | kíktu (with attached pronoun) |
| Imperative (þið) | kíkið! |
| Supine | kíkt |
| Past participle (m/f/n) | kíktur / kíkt / kíkt |
| Middle voice (miðmynd) | kíkjast — not in ordinary use |
kíkja á — have a look at / pop by
The core phrasal use is kíkja á + accusative: "have a (quick) look at" something, or "pop by / check up on" someone. Kíktu á þetta means "take a look at this"; ég kíki á þig á eftir means "I'll swing by to see you later". The preposition is á, and its object is accusative.
Kíktu á þetta — heldurðu að þetta sé rétt?
Take a look at this — do you think it's right?
Ég kíki á þig á eftir, ég er rétt hjá þér.
I'll pop by to see you later, I'm right near you.
Hún kíkti á úrið og sá að hún var of sein.
She glanced at her watch and saw she was late.
kíkja í — pop into (a place)
With í + a place, kíkja means "pop into / nip into" somewhere: kíkja í búð ("pop into a shop"), kíkja í heimsókn ("drop by for a visit"), kíkja í bæinn ("nip into town"). It carries the sense of a short, casual visit — nothing planned or formal.
Eigum við að kíkja í búð á leiðinni heim?
Shall we pop into a shop on the way home?
Amma kíkti í heimsókn með nýbakaðar kleinur.
Grandma dropped by for a visit with freshly fried kleinur.
Við kíktum aðeins í bæinn í gærkvöldi.
We nipped into town for a bit last night.
A register note: keep it casual
This is the thing learners most need and dictionaries rarely flag: kíkja is (informal). It is warm and everyday — perfect with friends, family, and colleagues you're easy with. In a formal email or an official context you would use a neutral verb like líta á ("look at"), skoða ("examine"), or heimsækja ("visit"). Saying ég kíki á þetta to a friend is natural; writing it to a government office is too breezy.
Ég kíki á þig um helgina, ef það hentar.
I'll drop by to see you over the weekend, if that suits.
Kíktu endilega við ef þú átt leið hjá!
Do pop in if you're passing by!
Common Mistakes
❌ Ég kíkaði á myndina.
Incorrect — kíkja is Class 2; the past is kíkti (-t), not the Class-1 'kíkaði'
✅ Ég kíkti á myndina.
I had a look at the picture.
❌ Kíktu á þessu.
Incorrect — kíkja á takes the accusative (þetta), not the dative (þessu)
✅ Kíktu á þetta.
Take a look at this.
❌ Ég kiki á þig á eftir.
Incorrect — keep the long í: kíki, never short 'kiki'
✅ Ég kíki á þig á eftir.
I'll pop by to see you later.
❌ Vinsamlegast kíkið á meðfylgjandi skjal.
Too casual for a formal email — use líta/skoða instead
✅ Vinsamlegast lítið á meðfylgjandi skjal.
Please look at the attached document.
Key Takeaways
- kíkja / kíkir / kíkti / kíkt — regular weak Class 2 with a clean -t past and supine.
- Keep the long í in every form; the j appears only before a/u endings (kíkja, kíkjum).
- kíkja á
- accusative = "have a look at / pop by"; kíkja í
- place = "pop into / drop by".
- accusative = "have a look at / pop by"; kíkja í
- Register: (informal) and friendly — for formal contexts use líta á, skoða, or heimsækja.
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