líta (to look / glance) | Icelandic Grammar

líta ("to look, to glance") is a strong Class-1 verb that runs on the same vowel series as bíta — í – ei – i – i — but it is far more idiomatic than its model. On its own líta means a quick, directed look, but most of the time you meet it inside a phrasal pattern: líta á ("look at"), líta út ("look, appear"), líta eftir ("keep an eye on"), and, most famously, the impersonal middle mér líst (vel) á ("I like the look of"). This page gives the full paradigm, sorts out which preposition takes which case, and draws the sharp line between líta (glance), horfa (watch), and sjá (perceive).

Conjugation

Class: strong, Class 1 (the í–ei–i–i series). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef litið "I have looked." Present stem lít-, preterite singular leit, preterite plural and supine drop to short i: litum, litu, litið.

Principal parts
Infinitive	að líta
1sg present	lít
1sg past	leit
3pl past	litu
Supine	litið

Person	Present (nútíð)	Past (þátíð)
ég	lít	leit
þú	lítur	leist
hann / hún / það	lítur	leit
við	lítum	litum
þið	lítið	lituð
þeir / þær / þau	líta	litu

Person	Present subjunctive	Past subjunctive
ég	líti	liti
þú	lítir	litir
hann / hún / það	líti	liti
við	lítum	litum
þið	lítið	lituð
þeir / þær / þau	líti	litu

Non-finite & imperative
Imperative (þú)	littu (á / út / eftir…)
Imperative (þið)	lítið!
Supine	litið
Past participle (m/f/n)	litinn / litin / litið
Present participle	lítandi
Middle voice (miðmynd)	lítast — impersonal: mér líst (vel) á… "I like the look of…"

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Because líta shares the í – ei – i – i series of bíta, the dangerous cells are the same: the past plural is short i (litu, not *leitu) and the supine is litið (not *leitið). If you know bíta, you already know the skeleton — only the meaning and the prepositions are new.

líta á — "look at" (+ accusative)

The everyday "look at X" is líta á + accusative. The particle á here is the two-case preposition in its motion/direction sense — your gaze travels onto the thing — so the object is accusative: líta á klukkuna ("look at the clock"), líta á þetta ("look at this"). It also carries the figurative sense "regard, consider": líta á e-ð sem… ("regard something as…").

Líttu á klukkuna — við erum að verða of sein!

Look at the clock — we're going to be late! (líta á + accusative klukkuna)

Ég leit bara snöggvast á símann og missti af strætó.

I just glanced at my phone for a second and missed the bus. (past singular 'leit')

Ég lít á þetta sem tækifæri, ekki vandamál.

I see this as an opportunity, not a problem. (figurative 'líta á … sem')

líta út — "look, appear"

líta út means "to look, to appear" — how someone or something seems. The quality follows either as an adverb (líta vel út "look good/well") or with fyrir að + infinitive (líta út fyrir að… "look as if…"). This is the verb you reach for to comment on appearance, health, or the weather's prospects.

Þú lítur þreytulega út í dag — sofnaðir þú illa?

You look tired today — did you sleep badly? (líta út + adverb)

Það lítur út fyrir að fara að rigna.

It looks like it's going to rain. (líta út fyrir að + infinitive)

líta eftir — "keep an eye on" (+ dative)

líta eftir + dative means "keep an eye on, look after, supervise." Here the gaze is one of care or oversight, and the object stands in the dative: líta eftir börnunum ("keep an eye on the children"), líta eftir húsinu ("keep an eye on the house"). Don't confuse the case with líta á, which takes the accusative.

Geturðu litið eftir krökkunum í smá stund?

Can you keep an eye on the kids for a moment? (líta eftir + dative krökkunum)

Nágranninn lítur eftir köttunum þegar við erum í burtu.

The neighbour looks after the cats when we're away. (present 'lítur', dative object)

The impersonal middle: mér líst (vel/illa) á

This is the construction that surprises learners most. The middle form lítast is almost always impersonal: the person who has the impression stands in the dative (mér, þér, honum…), and the thing judged follows á + accusative. Mér líst vel á e-ð = "I like the look of it / it appeals to me"; mér líst illa á e-ð = "I don't like the look of it / it worries me." There is no nominative "I" subject — líst is frozen in the 3rd-person singular. The past is leist: mér leist vel á hann.

Mér líst vel á nýju íbúðina — sérstaklega eldhúsið.

I like the look of the new flat — especially the kitchen. (impersonal 'mér líst vel á')

Honum leist ekkert á veðrið, svo við frestuðum göngunni.

He didn't like the look of the weather at all, so we postponed the hike. (past 'leist', dative experiencer)

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Hear mér líst á as a fixed unit, like English "it looks good to me." The experiencer is dative (mér, never *ég), and the verb never changes for person — it is always líst / leist. This is a quirky-subject construction: dative experiencer, no nominative agent.

líta vs horfa vs sjá — the seeing trio

These three verbs split the English word "look/see" three ways, and B1 is exactly where you should pin them down:

Verb	Core sense	Typical frame
líta	a quick, directed glance / "have a look"	líta á (acc), líta eftir (dat), líta út
horfa	watch, gaze steadily (sustained)	horfa á (acc): horfa á sjónvarpið
sjá	see, perceive (the result, not the act)	sjá e-ð (acc): ég sé fjallið

The difference is duration and intent. líta is the brief act — you flick your eyes over. horfa is the sustained act — you watch, you stare. sjá is the outcome — the image reaches your mind. So you horfir á a film for two hours, you lítur á your watch for a second, and afterwards you sást (saw) that it was late.

Ég leit á myndina en horfði ekki á hana til enda.

I had a look at the film but didn't watch it to the end. (líta = glance vs horfa = watch)

Common Mistakes

❌ Ég horfði bara snöggt á klukkuna.

Odd — a quick glance at the clock is 'líta', not 'horfa' (which is sustained watching).

✅ Ég leit bara snöggt á klukkuna.

I just glanced quickly at the clock.

❌ Ég líst vel á þetta.

Incorrect — the experiencer must be DATIVE (mér), not nominative (ég); the verb stays 3rd-person 'líst'.

✅ Mér líst vel á þetta.

I like the look of this.

❌ Þau leitu á myndirnar.

Incorrect — the past PLURAL is short i: 'litu', not '*leitu'.

✅ Þau litu á myndirnar.

They looked at the pictures.

❌ Geturðu litið eftir börnin?

Incorrect — líta eftir takes the DATIVE: 'börnunum', not the accusative 'börnin'.

✅ Geturðu litið eftir börnunum?

Can you keep an eye on the children?

❌ Mér lítur vel á hugmyndina.

Incorrect — the impersonal 'like the look of' uses the MIDDLE 'líst', not active 'lítur'.

✅ Mér líst vel á hugmyndina.

I like the look of the idea.

Key Takeaways

lít / lítur (present), leit / litum / litu (past), litið (supine) — strong Class 1, same series as bíta; watch the short-i plural litu.
líta á
- accusative = "look at / regard as"; líta út = "appear / look (a way)"; líta eftir
  - dative = "keep an eye on."
mér líst (vel/illa) á e-ð is an impersonal middle: dative experiencer, frozen líst / leist, never a nominative subject.
líta = a glance (brief), horfa = watch (sustained), sjá = see/perceive (the result).
Auxiliary is hafa: ég hef litið.

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