Level A1

Lesson 3 – Personal Pronouns, Word Order & The Verb “To Be”

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use Icelandic personal pronouns, the present tense of the verb að vera (to be), and how to build basic sentences using Icelandic word order.

Personal Pronouns in Icelandic

Icelandic

Ég

Þú

Hann

Hún

Það

Við

Þið

Þeir

Þær 

Þau

English

I

You

He

She

It

We

You (plural)

They (masc.) – two or more men

They (fem.) – two or more women

They (neut.) – two or more people not of the same gender or two or more non-binary people

Note: Icelandic keeps gender distinctions in plural they forms.

The Verb “To Be” – Að Vera

Subject
Verb Form
English

Ég

Þú

Hann/hún/það

Við

Þið

Þeir/þær/þau

er

ert

er

erum

eruð

eru

I am

You are

He/She/It is

We are

You are

They are

Note: “Að vera” is irregular — these forms should be memorized.

Culture Note

Icelandic places a high value on clarity and formality in early conversations. Using the right personal pronoun shows attention to gender and respect.
Most Icelanders are happy to help if you get it wrong — but learning the distinctions will show your effort.

 Basic Word Order in Icelandic: SVO

Icelandic uses a Subject–Verb–Object structure in simple sentences:

Ég + er + nemandi
I      am     student

Þú + ert + í skóla
You  are  at school

Verb always comes second — even when questions or time words are added:

  • Í dag er hún heima.

  • Today she is at home.

Quick Tips

  • Icelandic usually doesn’t drop subject pronouns like Spanish or Italian — always include them.

Let’s Practice

 All the answers can be found at the end of this lesson.

1 Fill in the blanks – “að vera”

Fill in the blanks with the verb “að vera” and then translate:

  1. Ég ___ nemandi.

  2. Þú ___ kennari.

  3. Hann ___ heima.

  4. Þau ___ læknar.

  5. Við ___ í Reykjavík.

  6. Þær ___ fallegar.

  7. Þið ___ skemmtileg.

  8. Hún ___ nemandi.
  9. Það ___ leiðilegt.
  10. Þeir ___ stórir.
2 Fill-in-the-Blank Sentences – Pronoun + Verb

Fill in the missing pronoun or correct form of “to be”:

  1. ______ er í borginni. (I)

  2. Þú ______ nemandi.

  3. Hann ______ læknir.

  4. Við ______ íslensk.

  5. ______ eru kennarar. 

  6. Þau ____ stór.

  7. ____ eruð kennarar.
  8. Hún ____ skemmtileg.
  9. Þær _____ glaðar.

Translate the sentences and try reading them aloud.

3 Conjugation Table – Að vera (To be)

Fill in the missing English or Icelandic forms.

SubjectIcelandic VerbEnglish
 erI am
Þú You are
Hanner 
Húner 
Þaðer 
 erumWe are
Þiðeruð 
Þeir They (m) are
Þær They (f) are
Þau They (n) are
4 Writing Practice

Write five short sentences using different pronouns and forms of að vera. Say them out loud, then try switching out the subject to create new combinations.

If you want corrections of your sentences you can submit them to langcorrect.com.

Good job! Vel gert!

Here you can find the answers to the written practices.

Answers

1 Fill in the blanks – “að vera”

1 – er, 2 – ert, 3 – er, 4 – eru, 5 – erum, 6 – eru, 7 – eruð, 8 – er, 9 – er, 10 – eru

2 Fill-in-the-Blank Sentences – Pronoun + Verb

1 – Ég, 2 – ert, 3 – er, 4 – erum, 5 – Þeir/þær/þau, 6 – eru, 7 – Þið, 8 – er, 9 – eru 

3 Conjugation Table – Að vera (To be)

ég – ert – he is – she is – it is – Við – You are (plural) – they are – they are – they are

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