Impersonal Verbs

Certain verbs are used only in the third person singular, and usually refer to natural events (the weather, passage of time, etc.):

• það dagar -- it is dawn(ing);

• það kvöldar -- it is becoming evening;

• það dimmir -- it is getting dark;

• það vorar -- it is becoming Spring;

• það haustar -- it is becoming Fall;

• það hitnar -- it is getting warm;

• það kólnar -- it is getting cold;

• það snjóar/fennir -- it is snowing;

• það rignir -- it is raining;

• það geisar -- a gale is blowing.

Certain impersonal verbs are used with the accusative personal pronoun:

• Mig, þig, hann, osfr. þyrstir, hungrar, etc. -- I am thirsty, hungry, etc.;

• Það munar miklu -- it makes a great difference;

• Mig munar um hverja krónuna -- Every krona makes a difference to me;

• Mig langar til að gera það -- I long to do that;

• Mig dreymdi vel (illa) í nótt -- I had a nice (bad) dream last night.

Impersonal Use of Ordinary Verbs/The Dative Construction

This impersonal construction is very common in Icelandic. The logical subject of a sentence is forced into the Dative case by the impersonal (third person) use of the verb. Some examples:

• Mér hefur oft dottið í hug að læra ensku;

• Mér er heitt (kalt);

• Mér þykir gaman að lesa sögurnar;

• Honum hefði verið betra að fara eftir mínum ráðum;

• Mér líkar vel við þig;

• Honum skeikar ekki;

• Mér batnar/versnar;

• Honum batnaði seint;

• Mér finnst það gott;

• Þeim laust saman.

Prepositions

• Prepositions Governing the Accusative.

• Prepositions Governing the Dative.

• Prepositions Governing the Accusative or Dative.

• Prepositions Governing the Genitive.

• Prepositional Phrases.

Prepositions Governing the Accusative.

• fyrir ofan -- above;

• gegnum -- through;

• kringum -- round, around;

• um -- about, around; across; during, by;

• umfram -- above, beyond;

• umhverfis -- around.

Prepositions Governing the Dative.

• að -- to, upto, at;

• af -- of, from, by, off;

• andspænis -- directly opposite;

• ásamt -- together with;

• frá -- from;

• gagn -- against;

• gagnvart -- opposite;

• gegnt -- opposite to;

• handa -- for, to;

• hjá -- with, by, near;

• meðfram -- along;

• mót/móti -- against, opposite;

• nálægt -- near to;

• undan -- from under;

• úr -- from, out of;

Prepositions Governing the Accusative or Dative.

The following prepositions may govern the Accusative or Dative case. Usually the Accusative is associated with motion or a change of state, while the Dative is associated with situation.

• á -- on, at, in, of;

• eftir -- after, by, behind;

• fyrir -- for, before, in front of, because of;

• í -- in, at;

• með -- with;

• undir -- under;

• við -- at, against, by, near;

• yfir -- above, over, across.

Prepositions Governing the Genitive.

• án -- without;

• auk -- besides;

• austan -- East of;

• innan -- inside, within;

• í staö -- instead of;

• meðal -- among;

• megin -- on the side of;

• milli/millum -- between;

• neðan -- below;

• norðan -- North of;

• ofan -- above;

• sakir -- on account of;

• sunnan -- South of;

• sökum -- on account of;

• til -- to, till, for;

• utan -- outside;

• vegna -- on account of;

• vestan -- West of;

NOTE: When preceded by fyrir, these prepositions require the Accusative case.