skipta ("to divide, matter, change") looks innocuous — a regular weak Class-2 verb, skipti, skipti, skipt — but it is really three or four high-frequency verbs wearing one coat, and which one you mean is signalled by the case and the particle around it. Bare skipta + dative means "divide, split, share out." The idiom skipta máli is the everyday way to say something matters. skipta um + accusative means "change, swap" (clothes, jobs, tyres). And the middle skiptast *á means "take turns" or "exchange." Master the frame for each and you've unlocked one of the most-used verbs in the language. Orthography: stem *skipt- with the cluster -pt- throughout; the i of the stem is stable, and the preterite is skipti (note that present and past first-person singular are identical: ég skipti can be either tense — context decides).
Conjugation
Class: weak, Class 2 (the -ti preterite; the t-final stem skipt- gives a single -ti, not a doubled -tti, because the cluster -pt- already ends in t). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef skipt "I have divided / changed." The stem is invariant.
| Principal parts | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | að skipta |
| 1sg present | skipti |
| 1sg past | skipti |
| 3pl past | skiptu |
| Supine | skipt |
| Person | Present (nútíð) | Past (þátíð) |
|---|---|---|
| ég | skipti | skipti |
| þú | skiptir | skiptir |
| hann / hún / það | skiptir | skipti |
| við | skiptum | skiptum |
| þið | skiptið | skiptuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | skipta | skiptu |
| Person | Present subjunctive | Past subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| ég | skipti | skipti |
| þú | skiptir | skiptir |
| hann / hún / það | skipti | skipti |
| við | skiptum | skiptum |
| þið | skiptið | skiptuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | skipti | skiptu |
| Non-finite & imperative | |
|---|---|
| Imperative (þú) | skiptu! |
| Imperative (þið) | skiptið! |
| Supine | skipt |
| Past participle (m/f/n) | skiptur / skipt / skipt |
| Middle voice (miðmynd) | skiptast — chiefly skiptast á "take turns / exchange" |
skipta + dative — "divide, split, share out"
In its core sense, skipta means divide or split something into parts, and it governs the dative of the thing divided, often with í + accusative for the parts or milli/á milli for the people: skipta kökunni í átta "split the cake into eight," skipta gróðanum milli sín "divide the profit between themselves." The dative here is the same family you meet with breyta and stýra — verbs of managing or operating on a thing rather than seizing it.
Við skiptum pizzunni á milli okkar.
We split the pizza between us. — skipta + dative (pizzunni) + á milli; 'divide/share'.
Kennarinn skipti bekknum í þrjá hópa.
The teacher divided the class into three groups. — skipta + dative (bekknum) + í + accusative parts (þrjá hópa).
Þau skiptu arfinum jafnt á milli systkinanna.
They divided the inheritance equally among the siblings. — past skiptu + dative (arfinum).
skipta máli — "matter, be important"
This is the single most-used face of the verb and worth drilling on its own. skipta máli literally "make a difference to the matter" is the ordinary, everyday way to say something matters / is important: það skiptir máli "it matters," það skiptir engu máli "it makes no difference at all," þetta skiptir miklu máli "this matters a great deal." The thing that matters is the subject (nominative or það); máli is a frozen dative that doesn't change. To say something matters to a person, add the person in the accusative: það skiptir mig máli "it matters to me" (literally "it concerns me as to the matter").
Það skiptir ekki máli hvað aðrir halda.
It doesn't matter what others think. — það skiptir (ekki) máli; the everyday 'it (doesn't) matter'.
Þetta skiptir mig miklu máli, svo hlustaðu vel.
This matters a great deal to me, so listen carefully. — accusative person (mig) + miklu máli.
Hvort þú kemur eða ekki skiptir öllu máli fyrir hana.
Whether you come or not means everything to her. — skipta öllu máli 'mean everything'.
skipta um + accusative — "change, swap, replace"
To change or swap one concrete thing for another — clothes, a job, a tyre, a SIM card, your mind — use skipta um + accusative. The um is essential, and unlike bare skipta (dative), the object after skipta um is accusative: skipta um föt "change clothes," skipta um skoðun "change one's mind," skipta um vinnu "change jobs," skipta um dekk "change a tyre." Notice the division of labour with breyta: breyta (+ dative) means alter / modify a single thing so it becomes different; skipta um (+ accusative) means replace one whole thing with another of its kind. You breytir hárlitnum (change/alter the hair colour you have) but skiptir um lit (swap to a different colour).
Bíddu aðeins, ég þarf að skipta um föt.
Hang on a second, I need to change clothes. — skipta um + accusative (föt); 'change/swap'.
Hann skipti um skoðun á síðustu stundu.
He changed his mind at the last minute. — skipta um + accusative (skoðun).
Við þurfum að skipta um dekk áður en veturinn kemur.
We need to change the tyres before winter comes. — skipta um + accusative (dekk).
skiptast á — "take turns, exchange"
The middle voice skiptast appears chiefly in skiptast á ("take turns, exchange, alternate"). With a bare á it means take turns (þau skiptust á að keyra "they took turns driving"); with á + dative it means exchange things (skiptast á skoðunum "exchange views," skiptast á gjöfum "exchange gifts"). The -st gives it the reciprocal, "each-other" flavour you expect from the middle voice.
Við skiptumst á að elda í vikunni.
We take turns cooking during the week. — skiptast á að + infinitive; 'take turns'.
Þau skiptust á jólagjöfum á aðfangadag.
They exchanged Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. — skiptast á + dative (jólagjöfum); 'exchange'.
Common Mistakes
❌ Það skiptir ekki máli fyrir mér.
Wrong case for the person — the one something matters TO goes in the ACCUSATIVE without a preposition: 'það skiptir mig ekki máli'.
✅ Það skiptir mig ekki máli.
It doesn't matter to me.
English "to me" tempts a dative with a preposition, but skipta máli takes the affected person in the accusative, directly: það skiptir mig máli.
❌ Ég þarf að skipta föt.
Missing 'um' and wrong case — to 'change clothes' you need 'skipta um' + accusative: 'skipta um föt'.
✅ Ég þarf að skipta um föt.
I need to change clothes.
In the "swap / change" sense the particle um is obligatory and the object is accusative. Bare skipta would invoke the "divide" sense (and demand the dative).
❌ Við skiptum pizzuna á milli okkar.
Wrong case — in the 'divide/share' sense skipta takes the DATIVE: 'skiptum pizzunni', not the accusative 'pizzuna'.
✅ Við skiptum pizzunni á milli okkar.
We split the pizza between us.
Bare skipta (divide) governs the dative. The accusative belongs to the skipta um frame, not to plain skipta.
❌ Hann skiptaði um vinnu í fyrra.
Incorrect — skipta is a -ti verb: the past is 'skipti', not the regularised '-aði'.
✅ Hann skipti um vinnu í fyrra.
He changed jobs last year.
skipta is weak Class 2 with a -ti preterite; never the tala-style skiptaði.
Key Takeaways
- skipti / skiptir / skipti / skipt — a regular weak Class-2 verb (-ti past); present and past 1sg are identical (ég skipti), so context disambiguates tense.
- skipta + dative = "divide, split, share out" (skipta kökunni, skipta arfinum).
- skipta máli = "matter, be important" — máli is a frozen dative, the affected person is accusative (það skiptir mig máli).
- skipta um + accusative = "change, swap, replace" (skipta um föt, skoðun, vinnu) — contrast breyta
- dative ("alter, modify").
- skiptast á (middle) = "take turns / exchange" (skiptast á að keyra; skiptast á gjöfum).
- Auxiliary is hafa: ég hef skipt.
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