vilja (to want) | Icelandic Grammar

vilja ("to want, to will") is the verb of the will — of deliberate intention, demands, and decisions. It is one of Iceland's preterite-present verbs, the same small class as eiga, mega, kunna and þurfa, so its present singular has no -r ending and looks like an old past tense. English speakers reach for vilja far too often: it is stronger and more deliberate than English "want," and for ordinary cravings and wishes Icelandic prefers the quirky-subject construction mig langar. Getting that boundary right is the single most useful thing on this page.

Conjugation

Class: preterite-present (no -r in the present singular). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef viljað "I have wanted." There is no imperative (you cannot order someone to want something).

Principal parts
Infinitive	að vilja
3sg present	vill
3sg past	vildi
Supine	viljað

Person	Present (nútíð)	Past (þátíð)
ég	vil	vildi
þú	vilt	vildir
hann / hún / það	vill	vildi
við	viljum	vildum
þið	viljið	vilduð
þeir / þær / þau	vilja	vildu

Person	Present subjunctive	Past subjunctive
ég	vilji	vildi
þú	viljir	vildir
hann / hún / það	vilji	vildi
við	viljum	vildum
þið	viljið	vilduð
þeir / þær / þau	vilji	vildu

Non-finite & imperative
Imperative	— (none)
Supine	viljað
Past participle (m/f/n)	viljaður / viljuð / viljað
Present participle	viljandi ("willing")

💡

Watch the singular: vil (I, one l) versus vill (he/she/it, two l's), with vilt for "you." Say it aloud — ég vil, þú vilt, hann vill — until the spelling difference between vil and vill is automatic. Note too that the past subjunctive is spelled exactly like the past indicative: vildi is both "wanted" and "would want." Only context separates them.

A preterite-present, like the English modals

Preterite-present verbs are an ancient handful whose present tense descends from an old strong past — which is why the present singular takes no ending (vil, not "vilur"). English speakers have an unfair advantage: your own modal will is the same verb, historically and behaviourally. Nobody says "he wills" with an -s, and for the identical reason nobody says "hann vilur." When vilja gives you ég vil, þú vilt, hann vill, it is doing exactly what English will does.

What vilja takes: a bare infinitive or an accusative object

vilja attaches its complement in two ways. With another verb, it takes a bare infinitive — no að. This is the trap: English inserts "to," but vilja (like the English modal will) does not.

Ég vil fara heim núna.

I want to go home now.

Viltu koma með okkur í bíó?

Do you want to come to the cinema with us?

With a noun, vilja takes a direct object in the accusative:

Hann vill kaffi, ekki te.

He wants coffee, not tea.

Hvað viltu fá að borða?

What do you want to eat?

vilja vs mig langar — will versus craving

This is where English speakers go wrong daily. vilja expresses a deliberate will, a demand, a firm intention — what you have decided you want. For softer wishes, cravings, and "I'd like / I feel like," Icelandic strongly prefers the experiencer verb langa, which takes the wanter in the accusative (mig langar, literally "it longs me"). Asking for food, fancying a drink, feeling like a walk — that is langa territory, not vilja.

Mig langar í ís.

I'd like / fancy an ice cream. (a craving — not vilja)

Ég vil tala við yfirmanninn.

I want to speak to the manager. (a firm demand — vilja fits)

A rough guide: if you could replace English "want" with "demand" or "insist on," use vilja; if you could replace it with "feel like" or "fancy," use langa.

The polite past subjunctive: vildi = "would like"

The single most useful softening move in Icelandic is the past subjunctive vildi, which turns a blunt "I want" into a courteous "I would like." This is how you order in a café or make a polite request without sounding demanding. Pair it with gjarnan ("gladly") to soften it further.

Ég vildi gjarnan fá einn kaffibolla, takk.

I would like a cup of coffee, please.

Við vildum spyrja þig að einu.

We'd like to ask you something.

vilja til — to happen, to come to pass

In a fixed idiom, vilja combines with til to mean "to happen, to befall" — usually of something unfortunate. Here vilja has nothing to do with wanting; it is a frozen construction worth recognising.

Það vildi svo til að við vorum bæði stödd í bænum.

It so happened that we were both in town.

Common Mistakes

❌ Ég vill fara heim.

Incorrect — vill (double l) is 3sg; the 1sg is vil (one l)

✅ Ég vil fara heim.

I want to go home.

❌ Ég vil að fara heim.

Incorrect — vilja takes a bare infinitive, with no að, when the subject is the same

✅ Ég vil fara heim.

I want to go home.

❌ Ég vil ís.

Understandable but blunt/odd for a craving — Icelandic uses mig langar í

✅ Mig langar í ís.

I'd like an ice cream.

❌ Ég vilaði fara.

Incorrect — vilja is preterite-present; the past is vildi, not a regular weak form

✅ Ég vildi fara.

I wanted to go.

Key Takeaways

vilja / vil / vildi / viljað — a preterite-present verb, like English will; the present singular has no -r.
Mind the spelling: vil (1sg) vs vill (3sg) vs vilt (2sg).
vilja takes a bare infinitive (no að) with the same subject, and an accusative noun object.
Use vilja for deliberate will and demands; use mig langar (+ accusative subject) for cravings and soft wishes.
The past subjunctive vildi = polite "would like" — your everyday courtesy form.

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