The present tense overview showed you the regular present endings and the u-umlaut in "we" (tala → tölum). Strong verbs add one more twist on top of that, and it is the defining feature of the strong present: the singular changes the stem vowel, and the plural doesn't. Taka ("take") becomes ég tek, þú tekur, hann tekur in the singular — the a fronts to e — but then snaps back to the infinitive vowel in the plural: við tökum, þið takið, þeir taka. This split is what makes a strong verb sound strong in the present. This page drills the singular fronting (the rule is i-umlaut, an old sound change that survives as a fixed pattern), shows the full present of the three verbs you'll meet first, and nails down the point that trips everyone: this present vowel is a third vowel, separate from the preterite ablaut you met on the strong-verbs overview.
The shape of the strong present: singular changes, plural reverts
The endings are exactly the regular present endings — -∅ / -ur / -ur in the singular, -um / -ið / -a in the plural. What's special is the stem vowel: many strong verbs front it in the singular and then return to the infinitive vowel in the plural. Take taka:
| Person | Present | Stem vowel | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ég | tek | e | I take |
| þú | tekur | e | you take |
| hann/hún/það | tekur | e | he/she/it takes |
| við | tökum | ö | we take |
| þið | takið | a | you (pl.) take |
| þeir/þær/þau | taka | a | they take |
Three vowels appear in one tense: e in the singular (tek, tekur), ö in "we" (tökum — that's the ordinary u-umlaut from the -um ending, the same one weak verbs show), and a in takið / taka (the bare infinitive vowel). The headline contrast to fix is tek vs taka: singular e, plural a. The singular fronts; the plural is the dictionary vowel.
Why it fronts: i-umlaut as a frozen rule
The fronting has a historical reason. The old singular endings contained an i-like sound, and that i "pulled" the stem vowel forward in the mouth — a → e, and in other verbs o → e, a → æ, au → ey, ó → æ. This is i-umlaut (i-hljóðvarp). The triggering i has long since worn away, so today there's nothing visible causing the change — it survives as a fixed pattern you simply learn: in these strong verbs, the present singular fronts. You don't need to reconstruct the history; you need to recognise that "the singular has a fronter vowel than the infinitive."
Ég tek alltaf lýsi á morgnana.
I always take cod-liver oil in the mornings. Singular 'tek' — fronted e.
Tekur þú sykur í kaffið?
Do you take sugar in your coffee? 2sg 'tekur' — still the fronted e.
Við tökum rútuna upp á jökul.
We take the bus up to the glacier. Plural 'tökum' — back to the a-stem (with u-umlaut ö before -um).
The three you'll meet first: taka, fara, koma
These three are everyday verbs and good templates. Here they are in full present:
| Person | taka ("take") | fara ("go") | koma ("come") |
|---|---|---|---|
| ég | tek | fer | kem |
| þú | tekur | ferð | kemur |
| hann/hún/það | tekur | fer | kemur |
| við | tökum | förum | komum |
| þið | takið | farið | komið |
| þeir/þær/þau | taka | fara | koma |
Two notes. First, fara fronts a → e in the singular (fer), and its 2nd singular adds -ð: þú ferð (not farar, not ferur). This -ð in the 2sg is a feature of several a-stem strong verbs — the regular -r shows up as -ð after certain stems. Second, koma fronts o → e: ég kem, þú kemur — and reverts to o in the plural (komum, komið, koma).
Ég fer í sund eftir vinnu.
I'm going to the pool after work. Singular 'fer' (a → e).
Ferð þú á tónleikana í kvöld?
Are you going to the concert tonight? 2sg 'ferð' — note the -ð ending, not -ur.
Við förum til Reykjavíkur um helgina.
We're going to Reykjavík at the weekend. Plural 'förum' — back to the a-stem.
Hún kemur með næstu vél.
She's coming on the next flight. 3sg 'kemur' (o → e).
Krakkarnir koma heim úr skólanum klukkan þrjú.
The kids come home from school at three. Plural 'koma' — the infinitive vowel o returns.
More fronting verbs — and one that doesn't change
The same singular fronting hits many common verbs. halda ("hold, think") fronts a → e: ég held, þú heldur, hann heldur, then við höldum, þið haldið, þeir halda. Some verbs, though, already have a front vowel in the infinitive and so show no change between singular and plural in the stem vowel — gefa ("give") and lesa ("read") keep their e throughout:
| Person | halda ("hold") | gefa ("give") | lesa ("read") |
|---|---|---|---|
| ég | held | gef | les |
| þú | heldur | gefur | lest |
| hann/hún/það | heldur | gefur | les |
| við | höldum | gefum | lesum |
| þið | haldið | gefið | lesið |
| þeir/þær/þau | halda | gefa | lesa |
Halda shows the a → e split clearly (held vs halda). Gefa and lesa don't change the stem vowel — they already start with e, so there's nothing to front — which is a useful reminder that not every strong verb fronts in the present; the rule applies where the infinitive vowel is one that i-umlaut can move. (Note lesa's 2sg lest: the stem-final -s fuses with the -r ending to -st.)
Ég held að það rigni á morgun.
I think it'll rain tomorrow. 1sg 'held' from 'halda' (a → e); 'halda' here means 'think'.
Amma gefur okkur alltaf nammi.
Grandma always gives us sweets. 3sg 'gefur' — no vowel change, the e was there all along.
Lest þú mikið af bókum?
Do you read a lot of books? 2sg 'lest' — the -s of the stem fuses with the ending.
The present vowel is NOT the preterite vowel
The single most important thing to keep straight: the present fronting and the preterite ablaut are two different changes, producing two different vowels. Taka has present tek (e) and preterite tók (ó). They are not variants of one form — they belong to different tenses and you must keep them apart:
| Verb | Present sg (ég _) | Preterite sg (ég _) |
|---|---|---|
| taka | tek | tók |
| fara | fer | fór |
| koma | kem | kom |
| halda | held | hélt |
Ég fer í vinnuna klukkan átta en fór seint í gær.
I go to work at eight, but went late yesterday. Present 'fer' vs preterite 'fór' — two distinct vowels.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ég tak strætó á hverjum degi.
Incorrect — the present singular fronts the vowel: ég tek, not the infinitive-stem 'tak'.
✅ Ég tek strætó á hverjum degi.
I take the bus every day. Singular 'tek' (a → e).
❌ Ég far heim núna. / Hann far í skólann.
Incorrect — 'fara' fronts to 'fer' in the present singular: ég fer, hann fer.
✅ Ég fer heim núna. / Hann fer í skólann.
I'm going home now. / He's going to school. Singular 'fer'.
❌ Við tekum rútuna. / Þeir kema seint.
Incorrect — the PLURAL reverts to the infinitive vowel: 'við tökum', 'þeir koma'. The fronting is singular-only.
✅ Við tökum rútuna. / Þeir koma seint.
We take the bus. / They come late. Plural keeps the a/o stem.
❌ Þú farar / ferur á morgun.
Incorrect — the 2sg of 'fara' is 'ferð', with a -ð ending, not -ar or -ur.
✅ Þú ferð á morgun.
You're going tomorrow. 2sg 'ferð'.
❌ Ég tók lestina á hverjum degi. (for a daily habit, now)
Incorrect — that's the PRETERITE 'tók'. The present is 'tek': ég tek lestina.
✅ Ég tek lestina á hverjum degi.
I take the train every day. Present 'tek', not the past 'tók'.
Key Takeaways
- Strong verbs front the stem vowel in the present singular (i-umlaut): taka → tek/tekur, fara → fer/ferð, koma → kem/kemur, halda → held/heldur.
- The plural reverts to the infinitive vowel: tökum/takið/taka, förum/farið/fara, komum/komið/koma. Learn each verb as a singular/plural pair.
- The endings are the ordinary present endings -∅/-ur/-ur · -um/-ið/-a; some a-stems take -ð in the 2sg (ferð), and stem-final -s fuses to -st (lest).
- Not every strong verb fronts — gefa and lesa already have e and keep it throughout.
- The present vowel is separate from the preterite ablaut: tek (present) vs tók (past). Never let them merge.
Now practice Icelandic
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Start learning Icelandic→Related Topics
- The Present Tense: One Form, Many MeaningsA1 — Why the Icelandic present covers what English splits across simple present, present progressive, and near future — ég les means 'I read', 'I am reading', and 'I'll read' — with the optional vera að progressive used only for emphasis.
- Strong Verbs and Ablaut: OverviewA2 — The strong verb system: verbs that build the past by changing their stem vowel (ablaut) instead of adding an ending, with FOUR principal parts — infinitive, preterite singular, preterite plural, supine — and the crucial split where the past singular and past plural can carry different vowels (fann vs fundu).
- Present Tense: Weak VerbsA1 — The present conjugation of the weak verb classes — the kalla-class (kalla, kallar, köllum…), the dæma/reyna -i-class (ég dæmi, ég reyni), and the j-class (telja → tel, teljum) — including the 1pl u-umlaut and the key split over whether the 1sg is bare or -i.