Expressing possession for third-person owners is straightforward in Icelandic. The possessive pronouns for "his," "her," and "their" are completely invariable—they never change to match the gender, number, or case of the noun they own.
- hans (his)
- hennar (her / hers)
- þeirra (their / theirs)
In Icelandic, possessive pronouns usually follow the noun, which takes the definite article. So, "his watch" is literally phrased as "the watch his."
Hans (His)
| This is his watch. | Þetta er úrið hans. |
| His jacket is big and old. | Jakkinn hans er stór og gamall. |
Hennar (Her / Hers)
It doesn't matter if the noun being owned is masculine, feminine, or neuter—the pronoun stays exactly the same.
| Where is her ring? | Hvar er hringurinn hennar? |
| Her cat is very beautiful. | Kötturinn hennar er mjög fallegur. |
Þeirra (Their / Theirs)
| This was their idea. | Þetta var hugmyndin þeirra. |
| Their room is small. | Herbergið þeirra er lítið. |
No Case Agreement
Because these pronouns are invariable, they remain the same whether the possessed noun is the subject or the object of a sentence.
| I cannot find his glasses. | Ég finn ekki gleraugun hans. |
| Are you taking their stuff? | Tekur þú dótið þeirra? |
Using Possessives on Their Own
Just like in English, you can also use these pronouns directly after the verb "to be" (vera) to state who something belongs to.
| The jacket is his, but the watch is hers. | Jakkinn er hans, en úrið er hennar. |