Verbs from adjectives (-ka)

Shaping the Clay

The teacher put the apron on and shaped the clay.
Kennarinn klæddi sig í svuntuna og mótaði leirinn.

Changing States with the -ka Suffix

In Icelandic, you can turn many physical adjectives into verbs by adding the suffix -ka. This creates a verb that describes a change of state.

These -ka verbs do double duty:

  • Inchoative: The object changes on its own (e.g., "the clay narrows").
  • Causative: Someone causes the object to change (e.g., "we widen the shape").

For example, from the adjectives breiður (wide) and mjór (narrow), we get the verbs breikka (to widen) and mjókka (to narrow). The exact same verb is used whether a shape changes by itself or you actively shape it:

The clay narrows here, but the bottom widens.
Leirinn mjókkar hérna, en botninn breikkar.
We widen the shape because we want the biggest bowl.
Við breikkum formið af því að við viljum stærstu skálina.
Since the clay narrows, I widen it.
Þar sem leirinn mjókkar, breikka ég hann.

Vowel Shifts

Adding the -ka suffix often triggers a vowel shift in the adjective's root.

For instance, djúpur (deep) shifts ú to ý to form dýpka (to deepen). Similarly, grunnur (shallow) shifts u to y to become grynnka (to make or become shallower).

The plate is shallow, could you deepen it?
Diskurinn er grunnur, gætirðu dýpkað hann?
The shape deepens, but the bowl gets shallower.
Formið dýpkar, en skálin grynnkar.

These derived verbs conjugate like regular Icelandic verbs and are common in instructions:

Deepen the bowl and widen the shape!
Dýpkið skálina og breikkið formið!
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