In this lesson, you’ll learn numbers from 0–10 and how to talk about more than one thing in Icelandic.
Listen to the pronunciation here. (coming soon)
0 – núll
1 – einn/ein/eitt
2 – tveir/tvær/tvö
3 – þrír/þrjár/þrjú
4 – fjórir/fjórar/fjögur
5 – fimm
6 – sex
7 – sjö
8 – átta
9 – níu
10 – tíu
In Icelandic, the numbers 1–4 change depending on gender.
So the masculine forms (kk) are einn, tveir, þrír og fjórir!
The feminine forms (kvk) are ein, tvær, þrjár og fjórar!
And the neuter forms (hk) are eitt, tvö, þrjú og fjögur!
When we talk about more than one thing, we use the plural form. In English an “s” is simply added to most words to form the plural form. This is not the case with Icelandic.
Here are some examples:
- bíll → bílar
- gluggi → gluggar
- bók → bækur
- rós → rósir
- hús → hús
- barn → börn
As you can see, endings like -ar, -ir, and -ur are common. The endings might seem very random, but there are patterns when you take a closer look.
For now, focus on recognizing plural forms.
Putting numbers and nouns in plural together is simple like this:
Examples:
Match the number with the Icelandic word.
You can use BÍN to check Icelandic plural forms.
Hér er eitt _______ (hús).
Use the written forms of the numbers.
💡 As you can see, when doing maths problems the masculine form is used for the numbers. But when talking about objects, the number changes with the gender of the noun.
Read the text and answer the questions below in complete sentences.
Jón á tvö hús. Sigga á eitt hús.
Hér eru sjö tré.
Hvað er þetta? Þetta eru níu strokleður.
Konan býr í sveit og á sex rósir.
Barnið talar íslensku og ensku og á heima í borg og á eitt hjól.
Hér eru fjórar bækur.
Listen to the audio and write what you hear (coming soon).
Practice 1: Match the Number
4, 8, 2, 0, 9, 3, 6, 1, 5, 7, 10
Practice 2: Change the Word to Plural
Practice 3: A Bit of Maths
tíu, þrír, sex, níu, einn, níu, átta, tíu
Reading Practice – Questions
Listening Practice – Coming soon…