The bad news: There is no way to predict how a noun will be declined. The group to which a noun belongs is defined by the declension endings in genitive singular and nominative plural. This is why these endings are always written down in the dictionaries for every noun. So, it’s a paradox – in order to know how to decline a noun, you should already know its declension.
Once you know the patterns, you can make some assumptions, based on the gender and the nominative singular ending, but there are just no rules, based on these characteristics. You will be sure only when you check in the dictionary.
More bad news: There is no easy way to learn the declensions. Especially when you are not in Iceland and you are not surrounded by the language, which would make the process much easier.
In such a case the advice that I have for you is:
- Learn the declension endings by groups and try to remember them as patterns.
- Write down in your notebook/make your own flashcards for one noun per group and try to remember it by heart so you can use it for the other nouns in the group, which follow the same pattern.
- Consider the variations in a group not as a new pattern to remember, but as the same pattern with slight variations.
- The dative and genitive plural are almost the same for all categories (-um and -a). This makes the number of endings your brain has to remember fewer! Hurray!
- Go to this site: https://islenzka.is/aefingar/noun_table.html. The interactive tables are a good way to memorize the patterns and to make your own predictions and then see if they were true or not. After you become good at it, you can take the noun declension quiz from the list with exercises and begin practicing the declensions.
These tables are also good to memorize the gender of some nouns and the plural endings. The site is the most useful one I have found so far when it comes to grammar.
Before starting with the paradigms, check out this post, where all of the grammatical terms and abbreviations are explained.
Declension paradigms
A noun is declined as an ending is added to its stem.
There is no official classification of the noun classes. One noun can belong to one class in some classification and to another in other classification, depending on how they are organized. All classifications of the noun classes are however defined by the genitive singular and nominative plural endings.
The nouns are divided into strong and weak nouns and undergo strong and weak declension (sterk beyging og veik beyging).
WEAK NOUNS
Kk.,genitive singular -a/-ja, nominative plural -ar/-ur
Noun: tími (time) and nemandi (student)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | tím-i | -i | tím-ar | -ar |
| þf. | tím-a | -a | tím-a | -a |
| þgf. | tím-a | -a | tím-um | -um |
| ef. | tím-a | -a | tím-a | -a |
- I-hljóðvarp
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | nemand-i | -i | nemend-ur | -ur |
| þf. | nemand-a | -a | nemend-ur | -ur |
| þgf. | nemand-a | -a | nemend-um | -um |
| ef. | nemand-a | -a | nemend-a | -a |
Kvk.,genitive singular -u, nominative plural -ur/ genitive singular -i (-is), nominative plural without ending or -ar/-ir.
Noun: blússa (blouse) and lygi (lie)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | blúss-a | -a | blúss-ur | -ur |
| þf. | blúss-u | -u | blúss-ur | -ur |
| þgf. | blúss-u | -u | blúss-um | -um |
| ef. | blúss-u | -u | blúss-a | -a |
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | lyg-i | -i | lyg-ar | -ar |
| þf. | lyg-i | -i | lyg-ar | -ar |
| þgf. | lyg-i | -i | lyg-um | -um |
| ef. | lyg-i | -i | lyg-a | -a |
Hk., genitive singular -a, nominative plural -u, genitive plural -na (exception: hjarta)
Noun: lunga (lung)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | lung-a | -a | lung-u | -u |
| þf. | lung-a | -a | lung-u | -u |
| þgf. | lung-a | -a | lung-um | -um |
| ef. | lung-a | -a | lung-na | -na |
STRONG NOUNS
A-category, kk., genitive singular -s /-ar, nominative plural -ar
Noun: hestur (horse)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | hest-ur | -ur | hest-ar | -ar |
| þf. | hest | – | hest-a | -a |
| þgf. | hest-i | -i (-) | hest-um | -um |
| ef. | hest-s | -s | hest-a | -a |
A-category, kvk. – genitive singular -r /-ar, nominative plural -ar
Noun: vél (machine)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | vél | – | vél-ar | -ar |
| þf. | vél | – | vél-ar | -ar |
| þgf. | vél | – | vél-um | -um |
| ef. | vél-ar | -ar | vél-a | -a |
A-category, kvk. variations
- nouns, ending in ing –a u is added to the accusative and dative singulars
Noun: kenning (kenning)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | kenning | – | kenning-ar | -ar |
| þf. | kenning-u | –u | kenning-ar | -ar |
| þgf. | kenning-u | –u | kenning-um | -um |
| ef. | kenning-ar | -ar | kenning-a | -a |
- V-innskot
Noun: stöð (station)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | stöð | – | stöð-v-ar | v-ar |
| þf. | stöð | – | stöð-v-ar | v-ar |
| þgf. | stöð | – | stöð-v-um | v-um |
| ef. | stöð-v-ar | v-ar | stöð-v-a | v-a |
- J-innskot
Noun: ey (island)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | ey | – | ey-j-ar | j-ar |
| þf. | ey | – | ey-j-ar | j-ar |
| þgf. | ey | – | ey-j-um | j-um |
| ef. | ey-j-ar | j-ar | ey-j-a | j-a |
A-category, hk. – genitive singular -s, nominative plural without ending
In some classifications, the neutral strong nouns do not belong to a certain group and they are rather a separate class on their own.
Noun: orð (word)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | orð | – | orð | – |
| þf. | orð | – | orð | – |
| þgf. | orð-i | -i | orð-um | -um |
| ef. | orð-s | -s | orð-a | -a |
A-category, hk. variations
- U-hljóðvarp
Noun: fat (garment)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | fat | – | föt | – |
| þf. | fat | – | föt | – |
| þgf. | fat-i | -i | föt-um | -um |
| ef. | fat-s | -s | fat-a | -a |
- brottfall
Noun: veður (weather)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | veður | – | veður | – |
| þf. | veður | – | veður | – |
| þgf. | veðr-i | -i | veðr-um | -um |
| ef. | veður-s | -s | veðr-a | -a |
- J-innskot
Noun: kyn (gender)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | kyn | – | kyn | – |
| þf. | kyn | – | kyn | – |
| þgf. | kyn-i | -i | kyn-j-um | j-um |
| ef. | kyn-s | -s | kyn-j-a | j-a |
- samdráttur
Noun: tré (tree)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | tré | – | tré | – |
| þf. | tré | – | tré | – |
| þgf. | tré | – | trjá-m | -m |
| ef. | tré-s | -s | trjá-a | -a |
I-category, kk. – genitive singular -s /-ar/-jar, nominative plural -ir
Noun: smiður (smith)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | smið-ur | -ur | smið-ir | -ir |
| þf. | smið | – | smið-i | -i |
| þgf. | smið | -(i) | smið-um | -um |
| ef. | smið-s | -s (ar) | smið-a | -a |
I-category, kk. variations
- J-innskot
Noun: bær (town, city)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | bæ-r | -r | bæ-ir | -ir |
| þf. | bæ | – | bæ-i | -i |
| þgf. | bæ-i | -i | bæ-j-um | j-um |
| ef. | bæ-j-ar | j-ar | bæ-j-а | j-a |
- What is seems like I-hljóðvarp: о→y, but it is originally A-hljóðvarp, since the original vowel was u changed to o
Noun: sonur (son)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | son-ur | -ur | syn-ir | -ir |
| þf. | son | – | syn-i | -i |
| þgf. | syn-i | -i | son-um | -um |
| ef. | son-ar | -ar | son-а | -a |
- I-hljóðvarp
ö→ e → a → e→ ö → a
Noun: völlur (field)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | völl-ur | -ur | vell-ir | -ir |
| þf. | völl | – | vell-i | -i |
| þgf. | vell-i | -i | völl-um | -um |
| ef. | vall-ar | -ar | vall-а | -a |
I-category, kvk. – genitive singular -ar, nominative plural -ir
Noun: mynd (picture)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | mynd | – | mynd-ir | -ir |
| þf. | mynd | – | mynd-ir | -ir |
| þgf. | mynd | – | mynd-um | -um |
| ef. | mynd-ar | -ar | mynd-а | -a |
I-category, kvk. variations:
- U-hljóðvarp
Noun: gjöf (present)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | gjöf | – | gjaf-ir | -ir |
| þf. | gjöf | – | gjaf-ir | -ir |
| þgf. | gjöf | – | gjöf-um | -um |
| ef. | gjaf-ar | -ar | gjaf-а | -a |
- U-hljóðvarp
Noun: verslun (store, shop)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | verslun | – | verslan-ir | -ir |
| þf. | verslun | – | verslan-ir | -ir |
| þgf. | verslun | – | verslun-um | -um |
| ef. | verslun-ar | -ar | verslan-а | -a |
R-category, kk. – nominative plural -ur
- brottfall
Nouns: fingur (finger) and vetur (winter)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | fingur | – | fingur | – |
| þf. | fingur | – | fingur | – |
| þgf. | fingr-i | -i | fingr-um | -um |
| ef. | fingur-s | -s | fingr-а | -a |
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | vetur | – | vetur | – |
| þf. | vetur | – | vetur | – |
| þgf. | vetr-i | -i | vetr-um | -um |
| ef. | vetr-ar | -ar | vetr-а | -a |
- I-hljóðvarp and U-hljóðvarp
Nouns: fótur (foot) and maður (man)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | fótur | -ur | fæt-ur | -ur |
| þf. | fót | – | fæt-ur | -ur |
| þgf. | fæt-i | -i | fót-um | -um |
| ef. | fót-ar | -ar | fót-а | -a |
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | maður | – | menn | – |
| þf. | mann | – | menn | – |
| þgf. | mann-i | -i | mönn-um | -um |
| ef. | mann-s | -s | mann-а | -a |
R-category, kvk. – genitive singular -ar /-ur,/-r, nominative plural -ur /-r
- I-hljóðvarp
Noun: bók (book)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | bók | – | bæk-ur | -ur |
| þf. | bók | – | bæk-ur | -ur |
| þgf. | bók | – | bók-um | -um |
| ef. | bók-ar | -ar | bók-а | -a |
- I-hljóðvarp and U-hljóðvarp
Noun: tönn (tooth)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | tönn | – | tenn-ur | -ur |
| þf. | tönn | – | tenn-ur | -ur |
| þgf. | tönn | – | tönn-um | -um |
| ef. | tann-ar | -ar | tann-а | -a |
- I-hljóðvarp, semdráttur
Noun: tá (toe)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | tá | – | tæ-r | -r |
| þf. | tá | – | tæ-r | -r |
| þgf. | tá | – | tá-m | -m |
| ef. | tá-ar | -ar | tá-а | -a |
- I-hljóðvarp
Noun: nótt (night)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | nótt | – | næt-ur | -ur |
| þf. | nótt | – | næt-ur | -ur |
| þgf. | nótt | – | nótt-um | -um |
| ef. | næt-ur | -ur | nótt-а | -a |
- I-hljóðvarp, semdráttur
Noun: kýr (cow)
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | kýr | – | ký-r | -r |
| þf. | kú | – | ký-r | -r |
| þgf. | kú | – | kú-m | -m |
| ef. | ký-r | -r | kú-а | -a |
R-category, family names
- brottfall
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | systir | – | systur | – |
| þf. | systur | – | systur | – |
| þgf. | systur | – | systr-um | -um |
| ef. | systur | – | systr-a | -a |
- brottfall, I-hljóðvarp
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | móðir | – | mæður | – |
| þf. | móður | – | mæður | – |
| þgf. | móður | – | mæðr-um | -um |
| ef. | móður | – | mæðr-a | -a |
- brottfall, I-hljóðvarp and U-hljóðvarp
| eintala | fleirtala | |||
| nf. | faðir | – | feður | – |
| þf. | föður | – | feður | – |
| þgf. | föður | – | feðr-um | -um |
| ef. | föður | – | feðr-a | -a |
The last, but the most important thing: the declensions are hard and there are many irregularities, but do not despair and do not give up! It will all make sense someday (or at least I hope so).
P.S. If you wonder what a unicorn has in common with the grammatical cases, the answer is: not many things. I just decided to put a colorful and cheerful picture, because there are just too many tables in this post.
I love Icelandic 