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Icelandic

In the previous lesson, you learned that words like *þessi* (this) and *mín* (my) trigger the **weak** declension for adjectives. Another extremely common trigger is the definite article. 

When an adjective comes directly before a noun that has the definite article attached (like *dómarinn* for "the judge", or *fórnarlambið* for "the victim"), the adjective must use the weak declension.

### Weak Oblique Endings

You already know the weak nominative endings (-i, -a, -a). In the oblique cases (accusative, dative, and genitive) singular, the weak endings are incredibly simple:

- **Masculine and Neuter** adjectives end in **-a**.
- **Feminine** adjectives end in **-u**.

| Gender | Nominative | Acc / Dat / Gen |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | gamli | **gamla** |
| Feminine | nýja | **nýju** |
| Neuter | unga | **unga** |

### Masculine and Neuter: The -a Ending

For masculine and neuter nouns, the weak adjective ends in **-a** no matter which oblique case is required by the verb or preposition in the sentence. 

In the first example, the verb *verja* (to defend) triggers the accusative for a neuter noun. In the second, *hjálpa* (to help) triggers the dative for a masculine noun. Both adjectives simply end in **-a**.

{{item:988046}}

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### Feminine: The -u Ending

For feminine nouns, the weak adjective changes to **-u** in all three oblique cases. Notice how the adjective ending remains exactly the same whether the noun is in the accusative (the direct object) or the genitive (triggered by the preposition *án*).

{{item:988043}}

{{item:988059}}

### Handling Multiple Cases

Even in complex sentences where different prepositions force different cases, weak adjectives remain completely stable. 

In the example below, the preposition *í* triggers the accusative (*stóra réttarsalinn*) and *vegna* triggers the genitive (*gamla dómsins*). Because both nouns are masculine, both adjectives simply take **-a**.

{{item:988055}}

Weak adjectives in oblique cases

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 judge	dómarinn
the proof	sönnunin
The judge is reading the new proof.	Dómarinn er að lesa nýju sönnunina.
to defend	verja
the victim	fórnarlambið
She is defending the young victim.	Hún er að verja unga fórnarlambið.
the lawyer	lögfræðingurinn
the criminal	glæpamaðurinn
The lawyer helps the bad criminal.	Lögfræðingurinn hjálpar slæma glæpamanninum.
the fine	sektin
They give the bad criminal the big fine.	Þeir gefa slæma glæpamanninum stóru sektina.
The criminal stands between the old judge and the lawyer.	Glæpamaðurinn stendur milli gamla dómarans og lögfræðingsins.
the courtroom	réttarsalurinn
the judgment	dómurinn
He goes into the big courtroom because of the old judgment.	Hann fer í stóra réttarsalinn vegna gamla dómsins.
The police wait in the big courtroom.	Lögreglan bíður í stóra réttarsalnum.
the prison	fangelsið
The criminal walks into the dark prison.	Glæpamaðurinn gengur inn í dimma fangelsið.
Who believes the bad criminal without the new proof?	Hver trúir slæma glæpamanninum án nýju sönnunarinnar?
The lawyer goes into the old prison today.	Lögfræðingurinn fer í gamla fangelsið í dag.
The criminal is angry because of the big fine.	Glæpamaðurinn er reiður vegna stóru sektarinnar.
The new lawyer defends the young victim.	Nýi lögfræðingurinn ver unga fórnarlambið.
The criminal is angry because of the long sentence.	Glæpamaðurinn er reiður vegna langa dómsins.