Questions & Answers about Ég þakka ykkur.
Because þakka (to thank) takes its object in the dative case in Icelandic.
- þið = you (plural) in the nominative (used as a subject)
- ykkur = you (plural) in the dative (used here as the object of þakka)
- ykkar = your (plural), a possessive form, not used as a direct object
So Ég þakka ykkur literally means I thank you (dative).
In modern Icelandic, ykkur is primarily plural (you all). Icelandic generally does not use a standard “plural you” as a polite singular the way French or German does.
Politeness is usually shown with wording (e.g., takk kærlega, kærar þakkir) rather than a special formal you form.
- Takk = a very common, short Thanks.
- Ég þakka ykkur = more explicit and a bit more formal / deliberate, like I thank you rather than just Thanks.
In everyday speech, Takk (or Takk fyrir) is often more natural unless you want emphasis or formality.
You would use the singular dative form:
- Ég þakka þér. = I thank you (to one person)
Here are the relevant forms:
- þú (nom.) → þér (dat.)
- þið (nom.) → ykkur (dat.)
Yes. Icelandic often omits the subject pronoun when it’s obvious from the verb form:
- Þakka ykkur. is perfectly normal and can sound more conversational, like Thanks / Thank you.
Including Ég adds emphasis: I (personally) thank you.
It’s present tense, 1st person singular: ég þakka = I thank.
The infinitive is also þakka, so the form looks the same, but the presence of Ég (and the sentence structure) shows it’s the finite present-tense verb.
A learner-friendly approximation:
- Ég ≈ yeh(g) (the g is often very soft or not strongly pronounced)
- þ is like th in thing
- þakka ≈ THAHK-kah (double kk gives a “crisper/longer” k sound)
- ykkur ≈ IH-koohr (the first vowel is similar to Icelandic y, not exactly English i)
If you want, tell me your dialect (US/UK) and I can give a closer approximation.
- þ (thorn) = voiceless th, like th in thin (not like this)
- kk indicates a longer/stronger consonant than a single k. Icelandic often uses double consonants to affect timing/quality of the preceding vowel and the consonant length.
Icelandic word order is flexible, but the neutral, most common order is:
- Ég þakka ykkur.
You can front the object for emphasis:
- Ykkur þakka ég = You, I thank (very emphatic/stylistic, less everyday)
Ég þakka ykkur is complete on its own: I thank you.
If you want to specify what you’re thanking them for, Icelandic commonly uses fyrir + accusative, e.g.:
- Ég þakka ykkur fyrir hjálpina. = I thank you for the help.
- Takk fyrir hjálpina. = Thanks for the help.
Yes—common intensifiers include:
- Ég þakka ykkur kærlega. = I thank you warmly / very much.
- Kærar þakkir. = Sincere thanks. (more formal)
- Þúsund þakkir. = A thousand thanks. (strong, friendly)
- þakka is the verb form you use in a sentence (ég þakka, við þökkum, etc.).
- að þakka is the verb in its infinitive form with að (similar to to in English):
- Ég vil þakka ykkur. = I want to thank you.
- Gott að þakka. = Good to thank (less common phrasing, but shows the structure)