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Icelandic

When keeping an eye on your neighborhood, you often need to compare what different residents are doing. In English, instead of repeating an entire action across clauses, we use phrases like "does so" or "does it" (e.g., "I check the locks, and my neighbor does so too").

In Icelandic, you avoid repeating an active verb phrase by using the construction *gera það* (to do so / to do it). You simply conjugate the verb *gera* (to do) to match the new subject, followed by the pronoun *það* (it).

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### Adding Adverbs

When you need to add an adverb like *ekki* (not), *líka* (too / also), *sjaldan* (rarely), or *aldrei* (never), it is placed directly after *gera það*.

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### Giving Reasons

This construction is incredibly useful for keeping your sentences concise when you are explaining reasons and connecting clauses with conjunctions like *af því að* (because) or *þar sem* (since).

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Replacing verbs (gera það)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Presentative and the definite suffix (þetta er, -inn, -in, -ið)

Singular pronouns and to be (ég er, þú ert)

Singular adjective agreement

Yes/no questions (ert þú…?)

Basic negation (ekki)

Plural pronouns and to be (við erum, þeir eru)

Group 1 weak verbs (-ar)

Group 2 and 3 verbs (-ir, -ur)

Information questions (hvað, hver, hvar)

Expressing opinions (mér finnst, mér líkar)

Expressing desires (mig langar)

Numbers 1 to 10 (einn, tveir, þrír)

Direct objects on indefinite nouns

Direct objects on definite nouns

Singular object pronouns (mig, þig...)

Plural object pronouns (okkur, ykkur...)

Directional prepositions (um, í, á)

Verb-second word order

Expressing intentions (ætla að)

Needs and wants (þurfa, vilja)

Middle voice verbs (-st)

Possessive pronouns (minn, þinn)

Dative case with prepositions (í, á, frá)

Definite dative nouns (-num, -nni, -nu)

Dative personal pronouns (honum, henni, þeim)

Plural nouns (-ar, -ir, -ur)

Definite plural nouns (-nir, -nar, -in)

Accusative plural nouns

Number agreement 1 to 4 (einn, tveir…)

Singular commands

Past tense of the verb to be (var, vorum)

Present continuous (vera að)

Strong verbs in the present tense

Weather and dummy subjects (það)

Invariable possessive pronouns (hans, hennar, þeirra)

Accusative possessives (minn, þinn)

Accompaniment (með)

Dative plural (-um, -unum)

Compound sentences (og, en, eða)

"This" in the nominative (þessi, þessi, þetta)

"This" in the accusative (þennan, þessa, þetta)

Accusative adjectives (-an, -a, -t)

Numbers 1 to 4 in the accusative (einn, tvo, þrjá)

Third-person reflexive pronouns (sig, sér)

The preposition "to" with the genitive (til)

Subordinating conjunctions (að, af því að)

Simple past of weak verbs (-aði)

Question words (hvernig, hvaða)

Physical possession (vera með)

Abstract possession (hafa)

Telling time (hálf, korter)

Plural commands (-ið)

The simple past tense (-di, -ti, -ði)

Possessive noun endings (-s, -ar)

Days of the week (á mánudaginn, á mánudögum)

Kveðjur — greetings (halló, bless)

Um mig — where I am from

Kurteisi — please, sorry, congratulations

Ability and knowing how (kunna að)

Permission (mega)

Obligation (eiga að)

Plural strong verbs

Numbers 11 to 20 (ellefu, tólf...)

Counting by tens to 100 (þrjátíu, fjörutíu...)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (fyrsti, annar...)

All / everything / everyone (allur)

The indefinite pronoun someone (einhver)

The indefinite pronoun no one (enginn)

Compound numbers from 21 (tuttugu og)

This in the dative singular (þessum, þessari, þessu)

These in the dative plural (þessum)

My and your in the dative (mínum, þínum)

Numbers 1 to 4 in the dative (einum, tveimur)

Adjectives in the dative singular (-um, -ri, -u)

Adjectives in the dative plural (-um)

Reflexive possessive in the accusative (sinn, sína, sitt)

Reflexive possessive in the dative (sínum, sinni)

Reflexive versus regular possessives (sinn, hans)

Demonstrative plural (þessir, þessar, þessi)

Definite genitive singular (-sins, -arinnar)

Indefinite genitive plural (-a)

Definite genitive plural (-anna)

Genitive prepositions (án, milli, vegna)

Prepositions of direction (yfir, undir, fyrir)

Prepositions of static location (yfir, undir, fyrir)

Question	Answer
the neighborhood watch	grannavarslan
The neighborhood watch is important since various things happen here.	Grannavarslan er mikilvæg þar sem ýmislegt gerist hérna.
We support the neighborhood watch, and the neighbors do so too.	Við styðjum grannavörsluna og nágrannarnir gera það líka.
the burglary	innbrotið
I investigate the burglary since no one else does so.	Ég rannsaka innbrotið þar sem enginn annar gerir það.
the guard	gæslumaðurinn
We report the burglary, but the guard does not do so.	Við tilkynnum innbrotið en gæslumaðurinn gerir það ekki.
the outdoor light	útiljósið
Which of you two turns on the outdoor light?	Hvor ykkar kveikir á útiljósinu?
I turn on the outdoor light at night, and she does so too.	Ég kveiki á útiljósinu á kvöldin og hún gerir það líka.
to monitor	vakta
They monitor the street, and we do so as well.	Þeir vakta götuna og við gerum það líka.
The police monitor the neighborhood well.	Lögreglan vaktar hverfið vel.
unfamiliar	ókunnugur
An unfamiliar man walks around the neighborhood, but he does so rarely.	Ókunnugur maður gengur um hverfið en hann gerir það sjaldan.
Are you afraid of unfamiliar people?	Ert þú hræddur við ókunnugt fólk?
regularly	reglulega
We lock the doors regularly, but they never do so.	Við læsum dyrunum reglulega en þeir gera það aldrei.
the group chat	skilaboðahópurinn
Which of the two checks the group chat regularly?	Hvor þeirra athugar skilaboðahópinn reglulega?
the prevention	forvörnin
The prevention is important since it prevents the burglary.	Forvörnin er mikilvæg þar sem hún kemur í veg fyrir innbrotið.
We discuss the prevention, and the guard does so too.	Við ræðum forvörnina og gæslumaðurinn gerir það líka.
the motion sensor	hreyfiskynjarinn
I use a motion sensor because the neighbor does so.	Ég nota hreyfiskynjara af því að nágranninn gerir það.
The motion sensor turns on the outdoor light.	Hreyfiskynjarinn kveikir á útiljósinu.
Various things appear in the group chat.	Ýmislegt birtist í skilaboðahópnum.
I read the group chat because you do so.	Ég les skilaboðahópinn af því að þú gerir það.
The guard notices the unfamiliar car.	Gæslumaðurinn tekur eftir ókunnuga bílnum.
The guard monitors the neighborhood, and the police do so too.	Gæslumaðurinn vaktar hverfið og lögreglan gerir það líka.