The indefinite pronoun einhver is used to talk about unspecified people or things ("someone" or "some"). Like an adjective, it changes form to match the gender and case of the noun it replaces or describes.
"Someone" and "Something" in the Nominative
The masculine nominative form is einhver. Used on its own as the subject of a sentence, it translates to "someone."
| Is someone inside? | Er einhver inni? |
| Someone is knocking. | Einhver er að banka. |
The neuter form is eitthvað. When used on its own, it translates to "something." Any adjectives describing it must also take their neuter singular form, like skrýtið (strange).
| There is something strange inside. | Það er eitthvað skrýtið inni. |
Accusative Forms
When the pronoun acts as a direct object, it takes the accusative case based on gender:
| Gender | Accusative Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | einhvern | someone / some (masculine) |
| Feminine | einhverja | some (feminine) |
| Neuter | eitthvað | something / some (neuter) |
Notice that the neuter form (eitthvað) stays exactly the same as in the nominative case.
| We see some big dog outside. | Við sjáum einhvern stóran hund úti. |
| We need some help now. | Við þurfum einhverja hjálp núna. |
| She hears something strange. | Hún heyrir eitthvað skrýtið. |
The Quirky Verb "Vanta" (To Need)
Most Icelandic verbs take a nominative subject. However, vanta (to need / lack) is a "quirky" verb: it forces the person experiencing the need into the accusative case (e.g., mig vantar instead of ég vantar). The thing being needed is also accusative.
| to need (to lack) | vanta |
Here it is used alongside the accusative pronoun einhvern and the adverb örugglega (definitely):
| I definitely need someone. | Mig vantar örugglega einhvern. |