Group 1 weak verbs (-ar)

Group 1 Weak Verbs (Singular)

The most common regular verbs in Icelandic belong to Group 1, often called "-ar verbs" because of their singular endings. To conjugate a verb like tala (to speak), apply these rules for singular pronouns:

• ég (I) uses the infinitive form, ending in -a (e.g., ég tala).
• þú (you), hann (he), hún (she), and það (it) add an -r, ending in -ar (e.g., þú talar, hann talar).

The Plural Forms and the U-Shift

Plural pronouns take the endings -um, -ið, and -a:

• við (we) ends in -um.
• þið (you, plural) ends in -ið.
• þeir / þær / þau (they) use the infinitive form, ending in -a.

The U-Shift: When adding the -um ending for við, any a in the verb's stem changes to ö. For example, tala becomes við tölum. Verbs without an a in the stem, like borða (to eat), add the ending normally.

Notice the u-shift in the first example below:

Asking Questions with Action Verbs

As with vera (to be), form yes/no questions by swapping the subject and the verb.