In this lesson, we cover vocabulary for politics, elections, and government. To discuss things belonging to specific groups—like "the power of the citizens"—we need the definite genitive plural.
The Definite Genitive Plural: -anna
In Icelandic, expressing possession uses the genitive case. When the possessing group is a specific, known plural noun (like "the citizens" instead of just "citizens"), we use the definite genitive plural.
This is one of the most uniform endings in the language. To form it, take the indefinite genitive plural ending (-a) and add the definite plural suffix (-nna) to get -anna. This applies across almost all nouns in all three genders.
| Definite Singular | Definite Genitive Plural | Example |
|---|---|---|
| borgarinn (the citizen) | borgaranna | vald borgaranna (power of the citizens) |
| kosningin (the election) | kosninganna | niðurstaða kosninganna (result of the elections) |
| atkvæðið (the vote) | atkvæðanna | niðurstaða atkvæðanna (result of the votes) |
The possessed noun usually comes first, immediately followed by the possessor in the -anna form.
| The power of the citizens is great. | Vald borgaranna er mikið. |
| I want to know the result of the elections. | Mig langar að vita niðurstöðu kosninganna. |
| The speeches of the politicians are long. | Ræður stjórnmálamannanna eru langar. |
| We listen to the speeches of the ministers. | Við hlustum á ræður ráðherranna. |
Notice how the -anna ending clearly defines exactly whose rights (réttindi) or whose party (flokkur) is being discussed.
| The politician understands the rights of the citizens. | Stjórnmálamaðurinn skilur réttindi borgaranna. |
| He examined the result of the votes. | Hann skoðaði niðurstöðu atkvæðanna. |
| Is this the party of the politicians or the citizens? | Er þetta flokkur stjórnmálamannanna eða borgaranna? |
| The minister talks about the rights of the citizens and the results of the elections. | Ráðherrann talar um réttindi borgaranna og niðurstöður kosninganna. |