"I am" and "You are"
To introduce yourself and others, use the singular pronouns ég (I) and þú (you) with the verb vera (to be).
In the present tense:
- ég er (I am)
- þú ert (you are)
Remember, Icelandic has no word for "a" or "an".
Asking and Answering Questions
To form a yes/no question, swap the subject and the verb. Þú ert (you are) becomes Ert þú...? (Are you...?).
Answer these questions using já (yes) or nei (no).
He, She, and It
The third-person pronouns are hann (he), hún (she), and það (it). The verb form for all three is er—exactly the same as for ég.
- hann er (he is)
- hún er (she is)
- það er (it is)
Connect contrasting sentences with en (but).
Again, swap the verb and subject to ask a question.
Pronouns and Grammatical Gender
In Icelandic, pronouns replacing a noun must match its grammatical gender, even for inanimate objects!
When first identifying what something is, use það (it) or þetta (this).
Once referring back to a specific noun, use the pronoun that matches its gender:
- hann (he) for masculine nouns like hundur (dog) or bíll (car).
- hún (she) for feminine nouns like bók (book).
- það (it) for neuter nouns like hús (house).