The Plural Genitive Linking Vowel (-a)
In Icelandic, compound words are often formed by putting the first noun into the genitive (possessive) case. When the first noun refers to a plural group—like "children" in "children's program" or "teachers" in "teachers' lounge"—we use the plural genitive form.
For the vast majority of nouns in Icelandic, regardless of their gender, the plural genitive ends in -a. This makes -a- the perfect linking vowel for plural compounds.
- barn (child) → barna (children's) + starf (program) = barnastarf
- kennari (teacher) → kennara (teachers') + stofa (room/lounge) = kennarastofa
| The teacher takes care of the children's program. | Kennarinn sér um barnastarfið. |
| They talk about the children's program in the teachers' lounge. | Þau tala um barnastarfið í kennarastofunni. |
Vowel Shifts in Nouns for People
Some common nouns representing people undergo a vowel shift when forming the plural genitive. Memorize these frequent prefixes:
- kona (woman) → kvenna- (often paired with the regular karla- for men)
- móðir (mother) → mæðra-
- faðir (father) → feðra-
| The women's locker room is open, but the men's locker room is closed. | Kvennaklefinn er opinn en karlaklefinn er lokaður. |
| The mothers' group takes care of our flower garden. | Mæðrahópurinn sér um blómagarðinn okkar. |
| They are interested in the fathers' group. | Þeir hafa áhuga á feðrahópnum. |
Other Plural Collections
The plural -a link isn't just for groups of people. We use it whenever the first part of the compound naturally represents a collection of things, like animals (dýr → dýra) or flowers (blóm → blóma).
| The animal lover takes part in the children's program. | Dýravinurinn tekur þátt í barnastarfinu. |
Declining Compound Words
Remember the golden rule of Icelandic compounds: only the last word declines.
The first word (barna-, mæðra-, blóma-) is permanently locked in its genitive linking form. When you add the definite article or change cases depending on the verb, only the final noun changes.
Notice how klefinn (the locker room) takes the accusative case in the following sentence, becoming klefann, while the kvenna- and karla- prefixes remain completely unchanged:
| We clean the men's locker room and the women's locker room. | Við þrífum karlaklefann og kvennaklefann. |