reyna | Icelandic Grammar

reyna ("to try") is the everyday verb of attempting, and it doubles as a near-perfect model for the whole weak -di class: reyni, reyndi, reynt, with the n of the stem flowing straight into the -di ending (reyn- + di → reyndi). Two patterns carry almost all its frequency. The first is reyna að + infinitive "to try to do something" — a control structure where one subject runs both verbs. The second is the middle reynast "to turn out / prove to be," which quietly does the work English assigns to "turn out / prove." Keep reyna (you attempt) apart from prófa (you test something out), and apart from reyna á (you strain/test something), and you have the verb fully under control. Orthography: the stem vowel is ey, which never u-umlauts (við reynum, never "reynöm"), and the past keeps the d in reyndi (not ð, because the stem ends in n).

Conjugation

Class: weak, Class 2 (the -di preterite). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef reynt "I have tried." The stem reyn- is invariant; the ey diphthong blocks any u-umlaut, so við reynum keeps its vowel.

Principal parts
Infinitive	að reyna
1sg present	reyni
1sg past	reyndi
3pl past	reyndu
Supine	reynt

Person	Present (nútíð)	Past (þátíð)
ég	reyni	reyndi
þú	reynir	reyndir
hann / hún / það	reynir	reyndi
við	reynum	reyndum
þið	reynið	reynduð
þeir / þær / þau	reyna	reyndu

Person	Present subjunctive	Past subjunctive
ég	reyni	reyndi
þú	reynir	reyndir
hann / hún / það	reyni	reyndi
við	reynum	reyndum
þið	reynið	reynduð
þeir / þær / þau	reyni	reyndu

Non-finite & imperative
Imperative (þú)	reyndu!
Imperative (þið)	reynið!
Supine	reynt
Past participle (m/f/n)	reyndur / reynd / reynt
Middle voice (miðmynd)	reynast — "to turn out / prove to be"

💡

The participle reyndur ("tried, experienced") is a useful spin-off adjective: reyndur kennari = "an experienced teacher." It is the same word as the past participle, recycled — a neat reminder that "having been tried/tested" is exactly what "experienced" means.

reyna að + infinitive — "try to do something"

The workhorse pattern. reyna að + infinitive expresses an attempt, and it is a textbook control structure: the subject of reyna silently controls the subject of the inner verb too (ég reyni að [ég] sofna — "I try to fall asleep"). There is no second subject pronounced inside the að-clause, and there cannot be — you can never say reyna að ég sofni. This is the same control relation English has in "I try to sleep," and it behaves the same way: the trier and the sleeper are necessarily one person. The að is obligatory and links the two verbs — this is precisely where English speakers, used to "try and do" or bare "try do," drop it.

Ég reyni að hætta að drekka kaffi á kvöldin, en það gengur illa.

I'm trying to stop drinking coffee in the evenings, but it's not going well. — reyna að + infinitive; the same subject (ég) runs both verbs.

Reyndu að sofna núna, það er orðið svo seint.

Try to get to sleep now, it's gotten so late. — imperative reyndu + að + infinitive; everyday bedtime line.

Þau reyndu að bjarga húsinu en eldurinn var of magnaður.

They tried to save the house but the fire was too fierce. — past plural reyndu + að + infinitive.

reyna á + accusative — "strain / put to the test"

Without að, reyna takes á + accusative and means "to strain, tax, put to the test." It is what a steep hike does to your knees (reyna á hnén), or what a hard week does to your patience (reyna á þolinmæðina). Impersonally, það reynir á "it gets tough / demanding."

Þessi brekka reynir verulega á lærin.

This slope really works your thighs. — reyna á + accusative (lærin) = strain/tax; no að here.

Það reyndi mikið á okkur að flytja og skipta um vinnu á sama tíma.

It really took a toll on us to move and change jobs at the same time. — impersonal 'það reynir á' = it's demanding.

reynast — "turn out / prove to be"

The middle reynast shifts the meaning from attempting to result: how something turns out once tested by reality. It links to a predicate — an adjective (reynast rétt "turn out (to be) right"), a noun, or an infinitive (reynast vera "prove to be"). This is the natural Icelandic for English "turned out / proved."

Það reyndist rétt sem hún sagði.

What she said turned out to be true. — reynast + predicate adjective (rétt); the standard 'turn out to be right'.

Nýja appið reyndist miklu betra en það gamla.

The new app turned out to be much better than the old one. — reynast + comparative predicate; everyday review-speak.

Hann reyndist okkur vel í gegnum allt saman.

He proved a good friend to us through it all. — reynast e-m vel = prove good/loyal to someone (dative okkur).

💡

Hold the pair together: reyna að (you make an attempt) vs. reynast (something turns out a certain way). The -st flips the verb from your effort to the outcome — ég reyndi að laga það "I tried to fix it" vs. það reyndist ólagfæranlegt "it turned out unfixable."

reyna vs. prófa — attempt vs. test-out

English "try" splits in two here, and the split is one English never makes, so it has to be learned consciously. reyna = attempt an action — you exert effort toward a goal that may or may not succeed. prófa = test / try out / sample — you give a thing a go to see what it is like or whether it works, with no particular goal of "succeeding." You reynir að open a jammed window (you strain at it); you prófar a new restaurant, a jacket, a button (you sample it). A clean diagnostic: if a to-infinitive follows in English ("try to start the car"), it is almost always reyna að; if a bare noun follows ("try the soup," "try this app"), it is prófa. Note too that prófa is itself a weak -aði verb (prófaði), so the two are also kept apart by their conjugation.

Prófaðu nýja kaffihúsið á horninu — ég reyndi að panta þar í gær en það var fullt.

Try out the new café on the corner — I tried to get a table there yesterday but it was full. — prófa = sample/try out; reyna að = attempt the action of booking.

Má ég prófa þessa úlpu áður en ég kaupi hana?

Can I try this parka on before I buy it? — prófa = try on / try out; reyna would be wrong for sampling clothing or gadgets.

Common Mistakes

❌ Ég reyni laga þetta.

Incorrect — reyna requires 'að' before the infinitive: 'reyni að laga þetta'.

✅ Ég reyni að laga þetta.

I'll try to fix this.

The að is obligatory. English "try and fix it / try fix it" misleads learners into dropping it, but reyna always governs að + infinitive.

❌ Hún reynaði að hringja.

Incorrect — reyna is a -di verb, not -aði; the past is 'reyndi'.

✅ Hún reyndi að hringja.

She tried to call.

reyna is the model Class-2 -di verb; the past is reyndi, never a regularised reynaði.

❌ Ég reyndi nýja veitingastaðinn í gær.

Wrong verb — to 'try out' a restaurant is 'prófa'; reyna means 'attempt'.

✅ Ég prófaði nýja veitingastaðinn í gær.

I tried out the new restaurant yesterday.

To sample or test something out, use prófa. reyna is reserved for attempting an action (usually with að).

❌ Það reyndi rétt sem hann sagði.

Incorrect — 'turn out to be' is the MIDDLE 'reynast': 'það reyndist rétt'.

✅ Það reyndist rétt sem hann sagði.

What he said turned out to be true.

"Turn out / prove to be" is the -st middle reynast, not active reyna. The -st is what carries the "result" meaning.

Key Takeaways

reyni / reynir / reyndi / reynt — the model weak Class-2 -di verb; past reyndi, never reynaði. The ey stem blocks u-umlaut (reynum).
reyna að
- infinitive = "try to" (a control structure; að is obligatory). reyna á
  - accusative = "strain / put to the test."
The middle reynast = "turn out / prove to be" (+ predicate: reynast rétt, reynast vel).
Distinguish from prófa = "test / try out / sample" (a restaurant, a jacket, a gadget).
Bonus: the participle reyndur = "experienced" (reyndur kennari). Auxiliary is hafa: ég hef reynt.

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