Number agreement 1 to 4 (einn, tveir…)

In Icelandic, the numbers 1 through 4 change their form to agree with the gender of the noun they count. Numbers 5 and up stay the same.

Masculine Nouns

For masculine nouns, use einn (1), tveir (2), þrír (3), and fjórir (4).

Here is one tomato.
Hér er einn tómatur.
These are two tomatoes.
Þetta eru tveir tómatar.
Four boys are tired.
Fjórir strákar eru þreyttir.

Feminine Nouns

For feminine nouns, use ein (1), tvær (2), þrjár (3), and fjórar (4).

Here is one orange.
Hér er ein appelsína.
Two girls are outside.
Tvær stelpur eru úti.
Four shops are open.
Fjórar búðir eru opnar.

Neuter Nouns

For neuter nouns, use eitt (1), tvö (2), þrjú (3), and fjögur (4).

This is one egg.
Þetta er eitt egg.
Two houses are very big.
Tvö hús eru mjög stór.
Four children are at home.
Fjögur börn eru heima.

Summary

Here are all the nominative forms for 1 to 4:

NumberMasculineFeminineNeuter
1einneineitt
2tveirtværtvö
3þrírþrjárþrjú
4fjórirfjórarfjögur

When listing multiple items, each number matches the gender of its own noun.

These are three bananas and four oranges.
Þetta eru þrír bananar og fjórar appelsínur.
Here are two jars and one egg.
Hér eru tvær krukkur og eitt egg.
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