sækja ("to fetch, collect, apply") is one of the busiest verbs in daily life — you sækir the kids from school, sækir a parcel, sækir um a job, and a website lets you sækja (download) a file. It is a weak j-verb, but with a twist that catches every learner: its preterite is irregular, sótti, with a stem you would never guess from the present sæki. The present has a j (sækja, sækjum, sækja), the past has a doubled -tt- and a new vowel (sótti, sóttum, sóttu). This page lays out the full paradigm, explains the sæki ~ sótti alternation, and sorts the high-frequency phrasal uses: sækja (fetch), sækja um (apply for), sækja að (press on/attack), and the middle sækjast eftir (seek).
Conjugation
Class: weak j-verb with an irregular preterite (sótti). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef sótt "I have fetched/collected." The two stems to fix in memory are the present sæk-/sækj- and the past sótt-.
| Principal parts | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | að sækja |
| 1sg present | sæki |
| 1sg past | sótti |
| 3pl past | sóttu |
| Supine | sótt |
| Person | Present (nútíð) | Past (þátíð) |
|---|---|---|
| ég | sæki | sótti |
| þú | sækir | sóttir |
| hann / hún / það | sækir | sótti |
| við | sækjum | sóttum |
| þið | sækið | sóttuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | sækja | sóttu |
| Person | Present subjunctive | Past subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| ég | sæki | sækti |
| þú | sækir | sæktir |
| hann / hún / það | sæki | sækti |
| við | sækjum | sæktum |
| þið | sækið | sæktuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | sæki | sæktu |
| Non-finite & imperative | |
|---|---|
| Imperative (þú) | sæktu |
| Imperative (þið) | sækið! |
| Supine | sótt |
| Past participle (m/f/n) | sóttur / sótt / sótt |
| Present participle | sækjandi (also a noun: "applicant, claimant") |
| Middle voice (miðmynd) | sækjast — sækjast eftir (+ dat) "to seek, strive for" |
Why sæki but sótti?
The mismatch is historical. sækja descends from an old verb whose root had a back vowel; the -ja- present triggered i-umlaut, fronting the root vowel to æ in the present (sæki, sækja), while the preterite kept the unfronted back vowel that surfaces as ó and added the dental -tt- of weak verbs (sótti). You do not need the history to use the verb — but it explains why sæki and sótti look unrelated: they are the same root seen through two different sound changes. The supine sótt and participle sóttur follow the past stem, not the present.
Ég sæki krakkana á leikskólann klukkan fjögur.
I pick the kids up from preschool at four. (present 'sæki')
Hún sótti pakkann á pósthúsið í gær.
She collected the parcel from the post office yesterday. (irregular past 'sótti')
sækja + accusative — "fetch, collect, pick up"
The core transitive sækja takes an accusative object: sækja e-n / e-ð ("fetch someone/something"). It covers picking people up, collecting parcels, fetching water — and, in computing, downloading: sækja skrá / sækja forrit ("download a file / an app").
Geturðu sótt mig á flugvöllinn á sunnudaginn?
Can you pick me up from the airport on Sunday? (supine 'sótt' after geta)
Þú getur sótt appið ókeypis í símann.
You can download the app to your phone for free. (sækja = download)
sækja um — "apply for" (+ accusative)
sækja um + accusative is the standard "apply for": sækja um starf ("apply for a job"), sækja um styrk ("apply for a grant"), sækja um vegabréf ("apply for a passport"). The agent noun umsækjandi ("applicant") and the noun umsókn ("application") come from this phrase and appear on every form you will ever fill out.
Ég sótti um þrjú störf í síðustu viku en heyrði ekkert.
I applied for three jobs last week but heard nothing. (sækja um + accusative störf, past 'sótti')
Þau sækja um dvalarleyfi strax eftir áramót.
They're applying for a residence permit right after New Year. (present plural 'sækja um')
sækja að — "press on / attack" (+ dative)
In a more forceful sense, sækja að + dative means "to press on, close in on, attack." It is the verb for an advancing enemy, a closing crowd, or, figuratively, encroaching cold or worry: kuldinn sótti að okkur ("the cold pressed in on us"). This use is more literary or dramatic than sækja um, but you will meet it in news and narrative.
Þreytan sótti að honum þegar leið á nóttina.
Tiredness crept up on him as the night wore on. (sækja að + dative honum, figurative)
The middle: sækjast eftir — "seek, strive for"
The -st form sækjast eftir + dative means "to seek, pursue, strive for" — to actively want and go after something abstract: sækjast eftir völdum ("seek power"), sækjast eftir viðurkenningu ("seek recognition"). The past is sóttist, following the irregular stem.
Hún hefur aldrei sóst eftir frægð, bara eftir góðri vinnu.
She has never sought fame, only good work. (middle 'sækjast eftir', supine 'sóst', + dative)
Common Mistakes
❌ Ég sækti pakkann í gær.
Incorrect — the past indicative is irregular 'sótti', not the regularised '*sækti' (that shape is the past subjunctive).
✅ Ég sótti pakkann í gær.
I collected the parcel yesterday.
❌ Hún hefur sækt um starfið.
Incorrect — the supine follows the past stem: 'sótt', not '*sækt'.
✅ Hún hefur sótt um starfið.
She has applied for the job.
❌ Við sækum hann á völlinn klukkan sex.
Incorrect — the j-verb keeps -j- before -um: it is 'sækjum', not '*sækum'.
✅ Við sækjum hann á völlinn klukkan sex.
We'll pick him up from the airport at six.
❌ Ég ætla að sækja um nýtt starf.
Fine for 'apply' — but to FETCH something it's bare 'sækja' + accusative, with no 'um'. Make sure 'um' only appears in the 'apply for' sense.
✅ Ég ætla að sækja nýju bækurnar í búðina.
I'm going to fetch the new books from the shop.
Key Takeaways
- sæki / sækir / sótti / sótt — a weak j-verb with an irregular preterite sótti; the present stem (sæk-/sækj-) and the past stem (sótt-) look unrelated but share one root.
- Keep the j before back vowels in the present: sækja, sækjum (not *sækum); the supine and participle follow the past: sótt, sóttur.
- sækja
- accusative = "fetch, collect, download"; sækja um
- accusative = "apply for"; sækja að
- dative = "press on, attack."
- accusative = "apply for"; sækja að
- accusative = "fetch, collect, download"; sækja um
- Middle sækjast eftir
- dative = "seek, strive for" (past sóttist, supine sóst).
- Auxiliary is hafa: ég hef sótt.
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