Counting Frequency
To express how many times an action occurs, you will use these specific frequency words:
- einu sinni (once)
- tvisvar (twice)
- þrisvar (three times)
"Per Day" vs "Per Week"
In English, you might say "twice a day" or "once a week." Icelandic uses prepositions to connect the frequency to the time frame, but the preposition changes depending on the time word:
- Use á for days: á dag (a day / per day)
- Use í for weeks and months: í viku (a week / per week), í mánuði (a month / per month)
When talking about taking medicine daily, you will combine the number of times with á dag.
| She takes the medicine once a day. | Hún tekur lyfið einu sinni á dag. |
| The patient swallows one pill three times a day. | Sjúklingurinn gleypir eina pillu þrisvar á dag. |
Notice how the preposition switches to í when the timeline changes to weeks or months, such as when scheduling appointments or physical therapy.
| He gets this dose twice a week. | Hann fær þennan skammt tvisvar í viku. |
| I go to physical therapy three times a month. | Ég fer í sjúkraþjálfun þrisvar í mánuði. |
Medical Routines and Conditions
Sometimes a dosage instruction simply states the physical amount per day, without needing frequency words like einu sinni.
| The dose is one pill a day. | Skammturinn er ein pilla á dag. |
You can also indicate that a routine happens at a specific time of day by using the preposition á with the plural time of day, such as á kvöldin (in the evenings).
| She puts one drop in the eye in the evenings. | Hún setur einn dropa í augað á kvöldin. |
Finally, these frequency expressions easily combine with conditional phrases, such as deciding how often to take medicine based on the level of pain.
| I take the medicine twice a day if the pain is bad. | Ég tek lyfið tvisvar á dag ef verkurinn er slæmur. |