English has one all-purpose verb for putting things places: put. Put the book on the table, put the plate in the dishwasher, put the key in your pocket, put your coat on the hook — one verb, four situations. Icelandic refuses this. It makes you choose a "put" verb according to the resulting configuration of the object: is it lying flat, set down generally, inserted into something, or hanging? The four core verbs are leggja (lay flat), setja (the neutral default), stinga (stick/insert into), and hengja (hang up), with koma fyrir for "place/arrange." This page is a comparative card: it gives a compact paradigm for each, then drills which one to choose — the part competitors omit and the part that actually trips learners.
The shared syntax: motion-accusative + directional phrase
All four verbs share one frame. The thing being placed goes in the accusative (it is the affected direct object), and the destination is a directional prepositional phrase — and because there is motion to a goal, that phrase takes the accusative, not the dative. This is the two-case rule at work: á borðið (accusative, "onto the table," motion) versus á borðinu (dative, "on the table," location). The static counterparts — liggja "lie," sitja "sit," standa "stand," hanga "hang" — describe where the object then is, with the location dative.
Ég lagði bókina á borðið.
I laid the book on the table. — leggja + accusative bókina + directional accusative 'á borðið' (motion).
Bókin liggur á borðinu.
The book is lying on the table. — the static result: liggja + locational dative 'á borðinu'.
leggja — lay something flat / horizontal
leggja ("to lay, lay down") is the verb when the object ends up lying flat or horizontal: a book on a table, a baby in a cot, cutlery beside a plate. It is a weak verb with a -gð- past (lagði) and a u-umlaut plural lögðum. Its static partner is liggja "to lie."
| leggja (weak) | Form |
|---|---|
| 1sg present | legg |
| 1pl present | leggjum |
| 1sg past | lagði |
| 3pl past | lögðu |
| Supine | lagt |
| Imperative (þú) | leggðu |
Leggðu lyklana á borðið svo við gleymum þeim ekki.
Lay the keys on the table so we don't forget them. — leggja: they end up lying flat; imperative leggðu.
Hún lagði barnið varlega í vögguna.
She laid the baby gently in the cot. — past lagði; the baby ends up horizontal.
setja — the default 'put'
setja ("to set, put") is the unmarked, general-purpose placement verb — the one you use when the configuration is neutral, upright, or simply not worth specifying: a plate in the dishwasher, a pot on the stove, an item in a bag, a name on a list. If none of the more specific verbs clearly fits, setja is the safe choice. It is a weak verb with a -tt- past (setti); its static partner is sitja "to sit," and setja is used reflexively as setjast "to sit down."
| setja (weak) | Form |
|---|---|
| 1sg present | set |
| 1pl present | setjum |
| 1sg past | setti |
| 3pl past | settu |
| Supine | sett |
| Imperative (þú) | settu |
Settu diskinn í uppþvottavélina, takk.
Put the plate in the dishwasher, please. — setja, the neutral default 'put'; imperative settu.
Hann setti pottinn á helluna og kveikti undir.
He put the pot on the burner and turned it on. — past setti; a neutral 'put on the stove'.
stinga — stick / insert into
stinga ("to stick, insert, poke") is the verb when the object is pushed or inserted into something: a key into a pocket, a coin into a slot, a fork into food, a hand into a glove. The configuration is in: the typical preposition is í + accusative, and the thing stuck in is often dative (stinga e-u í e-ð). This is the only strong verb of the four — Class 3, series i – a – u – u: sting – stakk – stungu – stungið, with the dramatic vowel jumps that make it worth a full paradigm.
| Person | Present (nútíð) | Past (þátíð) |
|---|---|---|
| ég | sting | stakk |
| þú | stingur | stakkst |
| hann / hún / það | stingur | stakk |
| við | stingum | stungum |
| þið | stingið | stunguð |
| þeir / þær / þau | stinga | stungu |
Principal parts: sting / stakk / stungu / stungið; past subjunctive styngi (umlaut of the plural stungu); supine stungið; participle stunginn / stungin / stungið. Note the object of stinga in the "insert" sense is usually dative (stinga lyklinum í vasann "stick the key in the pocket"), with the destination í + accusative.
Hann stakk lyklinum í vasann og gekk af stað.
He stuck the key in his pocket and set off. — stinga, strong past stakk; lyklinum is dative, 'í vasann' directional accusative.
Stingdu kortinu í hraðbankann.
Put the card into the cash machine. — imperative stingdu; the card is inserted, so stinga, not setja.
Ég hef aldrei stungið af án þess að borga.
I've never run off without paying. — idiom 'stinga af' (run off); supine stungið in the perfect.
hengja — hang up
hengja ("to hang [something] up") is the verb when the object ends up suspended / hanging: a coat on a hook, a picture on a wall, washing on a line. It is a weak verb with a -gð- past (hengdi); its static partner is the strong hanga "to hang, be hanging."
| hengja (weak) | Form |
|---|---|
| 1sg present | hengi |
| 1pl present | hengjum |
| 1sg past | hengdi |
| 3pl past | hengdu |
| Supine | hengt |
| Imperative (þú) | hengdu |
Hengdu jakkann á snagann frammi.
Hang your jacket on the hook out front. — hengja: the jacket ends up hanging; imperative hengdu.
Við hengdum myndina yfir sófann.
We hung the picture above the sofa. — past hengdu; the picture is suspended on the wall.
koma fyrir — place, arrange, fit in
When the placement is more deliberate — arranging, fitting in, installing something so it has a proper spot — Icelandic uses koma e-u fyrir ("to place / arrange / install something"), with the placed thing in the dative. This is the verb for setting up furniture, installing equipment, or fitting things neatly into a space.
Við þurfum að koma bókahillunni fyrir í horninu.
We need to fit the bookshelf into the corner. — koma fyrir + dative bókahillunni; 'arrange/place'.
Choosing the right verb — a quick guide
| If the object ends up… | Use | Typical example |
|---|---|---|
| lying flat / horizontal | leggja | leggja bókina á borðið |
| inserted / stuck into | stinga (oft. + dative, í + acc.) | stinga lyklinum í vasann |
| hanging / suspended | hengja | hengja jakkann á snaga |
| arranged / fitted in | koma fyrir (+ dative) | koma hillunni fyrir |
| none of the above / neutral | setja (default) | setja diskinn í vélina |
Common Mistakes
❌ Settu lyklana í vasann.
Not idiomatic — inserting a key into a pocket is 'stinga': 'stingdu lyklunum í vasann'. setja is too neutral for an into-a-slot insertion.
✅ Stingdu lyklunum í vasann.
Stick the keys in your pocket.
English "put the keys in your pocket" tempts you to setja, but an into-a-narrow-space insertion is stinga — and its object goes dative.
❌ Settu jakkann á snagann.
Not idiomatic — a coat ending up hanging needs 'hengja': 'hengdu jakkann á snagann'.
✅ Hengdu jakkann á snagann.
Hang your coat on the hook.
If the object ends up suspended, the configuration verb is hengja, not the all-purpose setja.
❌ Ég lagði bókina á borðinu.
Wrong case — placement is MOTION, so the destination is accusative 'á borðið', not the locational dative 'á borðinu'.
✅ Ég lagði bókina á borðið.
I laid the book on the table.
Putting is movement to a goal, so the goal phrase takes the accusative (á borðið). The dative á borðinu would describe where the book merely is.
❌ Hann stingaði lyklinum í vasann.
Incorrect — stinga is strong Class 3, not weak; the past is 'stakk', not '*stingaði'.
✅ Hann stakk lyklinum í vasann.
He stuck the key in his pocket.
stinga is the one strong verb in the set: sting – stakk – stungu – stungið. Don't regularise it.
❌ Settu bókina á borðinu og settu jakkann og settu lyklana.
Over-using setja for everything (the English 'put' reflex). Match each verb to the configuration: leggja (flat), hengja (hanging), stinga (insert).
✅ Leggðu bókina á borðið, hengdu jakkann og stingdu lyklunum í vasann.
Put the book on the table, hang up the jacket, and stick the keys in your pocket.
The single biggest error is treating setja as English put and using it everywhere. Choose by configuration.
Key Takeaways
- Icelandic chooses the "put" verb by the resulting configuration: leggja (flat), stinga (inserted), hengja (hanging), koma fyrir (arranged), with setja as the neutral default.
- All take a motion-accusative object and a directional goal phrase in the accusative (á borðið, not the locational dative á borðinu).
- stinga is the only strong one — Class 3, sting – stakk – stungu – stungið — and its inserted object is usually dative (stinga lyklinum í vasann).
- leggja (lagði), setja (setti), hengja (hengdi) are weak; their static partners are liggja, sitja, hanga.
- The transfer error is over-using setja as English put; train yourself to ask "how does the object end up?" first.
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- leggja (to lay / put down)A2 — Full conjugation of the weak j-verb leggja (legg / lagði / lögðu / lagt), a transitive 'lay/put', contrasted with its intransitive partner liggja ('lie'), with the u-umlaut lögðum and rich idioms — leggja af stað, leggja sig, leggja áherslu á, leggja saman.
- setja (to set / put)A2 — Full conjugation of the weak j-verb setja (set / setti / settu / sett), its transitive 'put/place' syntax with the accusative, the phrasal idioms setja upp/saman/af stað, and the high-frequency middle setjast 'sit down' — plus the setja/sitja transitive–intransitive pair.
- liggja (to lie / be situated)A2 — Full conjugation of the strong j-verb liggja (ligg / lá / lágu / legið), an intransitive posture verb ('lie, recline, be situated'), contrasted with the transitive partner leggja ('lay') and the middle leggjast ('lie down'), plus the quirky það liggur á.
- sitja (to sit)A2 — Full conjugation of the strong j-verb sitja (sit / sat / sátu / setið), an intransitive posture verb, with the setjast contrast ('sit down', a change of posture), the transitive partner setja ('set/put'), and sitja á / við.
- Two-Case Prepositions: Motion vs LocationA2 — The flagship Icelandic preposition rule: the spatial two-case prepositions í, á, undir, yfir, eftir take the accusative for motion / change of location (fara í bæinn) and the dative for static location / rest (vera í bænum) — the same preposition, the same noun, two endings, decided by whether the action changes where the figure is.