Nominative and Accusative Singular
The indefinite pronoun hver translates to "each" or "every". Like an adjective, it must agree in gender and case with the noun it modifies.
Here are the singular forms for the nominative (subject) and accusative (direct object or time expression) cases:
| Gender | Nominative | Accusative |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | hver | hvern |
| Feminine | hver | hverja |
| Neuter | hvert | hvert |
Notice that for neuter nouns, the form hvert is identical in both the nominative and the accusative.
Using "Hver" as the Subject
When "each" or "every" describes the subject performing the action, you use the nominative forms.
| Each boy has a task. | Hver strákur hefur verk. |
| Each woman is wiping the dust off the table. | Hver kona er að þurrka rykið af borðinu. |
Time Expressions and Objects
When hver describes a direct object, it takes the accusative case.
Additionally, Icelandic time expressions that indicate how often something happens—like "every day" or "every weekend"—almost always take the accusative case.
For example, the masculine noun dagur (day) becomes hvern dag (every day), and the feminine noun helgi (weekend) becomes hverja helgi (every weekend).
| I finish each task every day. | Ég klára hvert verk hvern dag. |
| You always wipe the dust every weekend. | Þú þurrkar alltaf rykið hverja helgi. |
| We are sweeping every morning. | Við erum að sópa hvern morgun. |
You will frequently combine a nominative subject with accusative objects and time phrases to describe daily routines and household chores:
| Each child cleans one toilet every day. | Hvert barn þrífur eitt klósett hvern dag. |
| Each girl irons a dirty shirt every morning. | Hver stelpa straujar óhreina skyrtu hvern morgun. |