labba ("to walk, to stroll") is what Icelanders actually say in everyday conversation when they mean going somewhere on foot. It is a weak Class-1 verb — the same -aði family as tala — and it is unambiguously colloquial: warm, casual, the word you'd text a friend. Its neutral, all-register counterpart is ganga, which is a different (strong) verb and the one you'll meet in writing, formal speech, and fixed expressions. The single most useful thing to internalise here is the register split: choosing labba vs. ganga is a style choice every Icelander makes constantly, and getting it right is what makes you sound natural rather than like a textbook. Watch for the u-umlaut — a → ö in löbbum and the past plural.
Conjugation
Class: weak, Class 1 (the -aði preterite). Register: (informal / colloquial). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef labbað "I've walked."
| Principal parts | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | að labba |
| 3sg present | labbar |
| 3sg past | labbaði |
| Supine | labbað |
| Person | Present (nútíð) | Past (þátíð) |
|---|---|---|
| ég | labba | labbaði |
| þú | labbar | labbaðir |
| hann / hún / það | labbar | labbaði |
| við | löbbum | löbbuðum |
| þið | labbið | löbbuðuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | labba | löbbuðu |
| Person | Present subjunctive | Past subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| ég | labbi | labbaði |
| þú | labbir | labbaðir |
| hann / hún / það | labbi | labbaði |
| við | löbbum | löbbuðum |
| þið | labbið | löbbuðuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | labbi | löbbuðu |
| Non-finite & imperative | |
|---|---|
| Imperative (þú) | labbaðu! |
| Imperative (þið) | labbið! |
| Supine | labbað |
| Past participle (m/f/n) | labbaður / löbbuð / labbað |
The register split: labba vs. ganga
This is the insight learners need most. labba and ganga both mean "to walk," but they are not interchangeable in tone:
| labba | ganga | |
|---|---|---|
| Register | (informal / colloquial) | neutral, all registers |
| Verb type | weak Class 1 (regular) | strong (gekk / gengið) |
| Feel | casual stroll, "wander over" | plain "go on foot", also "function/work" |
| Used in | chat, texting, everyday speech | writing, formal speech, idioms |
Use labba the way you'd say "stroll over" or "head over on foot" in relaxed English; reach for ganga in writing, in set phrases (ganga í skóla "attend school"), and whenever neutrality is safer.
Eigum við ekki bara að labba? Það er svo gott veður.
Why don't we just walk? The weather's so nice.
Ég labbaði í vinnuna í morgun, bíllinn er á verkstæði.
I walked to work this morning, the car's at the garage.
Við löbbuðum heim eftir tónleikana.
We walked home after the concert.
labba um — "stroll around / wander about"
With um + accusative, labba means to amble around a place with no fixed goal — exactly the leisurely nuance that makes the verb colloquial.
Við löbbuðum um miðbæinn allan daginn.
We strolled around downtown all day.
Hann var bara að labba um og skoða búðir.
He was just wandering around and looking at shops.
labba sér — the casual reflexive
You'll often hear labba with a "free" dative reflexive sér (or mér, þér), adding a relaxed, unhurried colour — "to take oneself for a wander." It's optional and very colloquial.
Hún labbaði sér niður á strönd í morgunsólinni.
She wandered down to the beach in the morning sun.
Labbaðu þér bara inn, dyrnar eru opnar.
Just stroll on in, the door's open.
Common Mistakes
❌ Við labbum oft í skólann.
Incorrect — the -um ending forces u-umlaut: a becomes ö
✅ Við löbbum oft í skólann.
We often walk to school.
❌ Þau labbaðu heim í gærkvöldi.
Incorrect — the 3pl past also takes u-umlaut: löbbuðu
✅ Þau löbbuðu heim í gærkvöldi.
They walked home last night.
❌ Forsetinn labbaði inn í þingsalinn.
Stylistically off — in formal/news register the neutral ganga is expected, not the casual labba
✅ Forsetinn gekk inn í þingsalinn.
The president walked into the parliament chamber.
❌ Ég labbi á skóla.
Incorrect preposition — 'walk to school' is í skólann (acc) or labba í skólann, not labba á
✅ Ég labba í skólann.
I walk to school.
Key Takeaways
- labba / labbar / labbaði / labbað — a weak Class-1 verb (the regular -aði past), same shape as tala.
- u-umlaut: a → ö before any -u- ending — við löbbum, past plural l*öbbuðum / lö*bbuðu.
- Register: labba is (informal / colloquial); in writing and formal speech use the neutral, strong verb ganga.
- labba um
- accusative = "stroll around"; labba sér adds a casual, unhurried flavour.
- Auxiliary is hafa: ég hef labbað.
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- ganga (to walk / go / work)A2 — Full conjugation of the strong verb ganga (geng / gekk / gengu / gengið), the u-umlaut in göngum, the 'function/go well' sense (það gengur vel), the quirky dative-subject mér gengur vel ('I'm doing well'), and idioms like ganga frá.
- 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.