vilja ("to want") is the verb of wishes and requests — Ég vil fá kaffi ("I'd like a coffee"), Viltu hjálpa mér? ("Will you help me?"). It is irregular in the preterite-present way, so the singular forms have no -r ending, and it hides one small trap that catches every learner: the "I" form is vil (one l) but the "he/she/it" form is vill (two l's). Master that one-letter difference, plus the polite vildi ("would like"), and you can make almost any everyday request in Icelandic.
Conjugation
Class: preterite-present / irregular (no -r in the singular present). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef viljað "I have wanted."
| 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 | — (vilja has no everyday imperative) |
| Supine | viljað |
| Past participle (m/f/n) | viljað (used as supine; verbal adjective rare) |
| Present participle | viljandi ("willingly, on purpose") |
vil vs vill — the one-letter difference
Because vilja is preterite-present, the present singular has no -r ending. But it does change shape: ég vil with one l for "I", hann/hún/það vill with two l's for "he/she/it", and þú vilt for "you". This is the form learners most often get wrong, writing "ég vill" by analogy with the more visible third-person form. Keep them apart: Ég vil, en hann vill ekki ("I want to, but he doesn't").
Ég vil fá kaffi og eitt vínarbrauð, takk.
I'd like a coffee and one Danish pastry, please.
Hann vill ekki koma með okkur í bíó.
He doesn't want to come to the cinema with us.
Viltu rétta mér saltið?
Could you pass me the salt?
What follows vilja: a noun or a bare infinitive
vilja can take a noun in the accusative (ég vil kaffi "I want coffee") or a bare infinitive with no að (ég vil fara "I want to go"). Note that the very common vil fá ("would like / I'll have") pairs vilja with fá ("get") and is the natural way to order or request a thing.
Ég vil heldur vera heima í kvöld.
I'd rather stay home tonight.
Hvað viltu borða? Ég vil bara eitthvað létt.
What do you want to eat? I just want something light.
The polite forms: vil gjarnan and vildi
Plain ég vil can sound a touch blunt for a request, so Icelandic softens it two ways. Adding gjarnan ("gladly") gives a friendly ég vil gjarnan ("I'd be glad to / I'd like to"). Even softer is the past subjunctive vildi, which works just like English "would like": Ég vildi gjarnan… ("I would like…"). This is the polite register for asking favours or placing requests.
Ég vildi gjarnan panta borð fyrir tvo.
I'd like to book a table for two.
Við vildum gjarnan fá að sjá herbergið fyrst.
We would like to see the room first.
vilja vs mig langar
English uses want for both vilja and the more emotional langa ("to feel like, to long for"). vilja is a straightforward wish or intention with a normal nominative subject (ég vil). langa is a quirky-subject verb: the wanter goes in the accusative (mig langar "I want / I feel like"). Use vilja for decisions and requests; reach for mig langar when you mean a craving or a wistful wish.
Mig langar í ís, en ég vil klára vinnuna fyrst.
I feel like an ice cream, but I want to finish work first.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ég vill fara heim.
Incorrect — the 1sg is vil with one l; vill (two l's) is he/she/it
✅ Ég vil fara heim.
I want to go home.
❌ Ég vil að fara.
Incorrect — vilja takes a bare infinitive with no að
✅ Ég vil fara.
I want to go.
❌ Ég langa kaffi.
Incorrect — langa is a quirky-subject verb; the wanter is accusative: mig langar
✅ Mig langar í kaffi.
I feel like a coffee.
❌ Vilt þú hjálpa mér?
Understandable, but the þú normally fuses into the verb: viltu
✅ Viltu hjálpa mér?
Will you help me?
Key Takeaways
- vilja / vil / vildi / viljað — preterite-present; no -r in the singular present.
- Mind the l: ég vil (one l) vs hann vill (two l's); þú vilt → viltu in questions.
- vilja takes a noun (acc.) or a bare infinitive (no að); vil fá = "I'd like / I'll have".
- Soften requests with vil gjarnan or the past-subjunctive vildi ("would like").
- Don't confuse vilja (decision/request, nominative subject) with mig langar (craving, accusative subject).
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- vilja (to want)A2 — Full conjugation of the preterite-present verb vilja (vil / vildi / vildu / viljað), its bare-infinitive complement, the accusative object, the volitional contrast with mig langar, and the polite past subjunctive vildi ('would like').