Today, we’re going to tackle one of the most important parts of learning Icelandic: noun cases.

If you’ve only ever learned English, the idea of “cases” might sound a bit scary. But don’t worry! You already use them without thinking. For example, you say “She sees him,” not “She sees he.” The words “she” and “him” are different cases. One is doing the action (she), and the other is receiving it (him).

Icelandic just does this with all its nouns, not just pronouns. A noun’s ending changes depending on its job in the sentence. It’s how we know who is doing what to whom.

There are four cases in Icelandic, and each one has a special job. In this guide, we’ll go through them one by one with simple examples. Let’s get started!

The nominative case (nefnifall): the subject

The nominative case is the easiest one. It’s the “default” or “dictionary” form of a noun.

The noun in the nominative case is the subject of the sentence. It’s the person or thing doing the action. It answers the questions Hver? (Who?) or Hvað? (What?).

Let’s use the word hundur (a dog) as our example.

When you look up a noun in the dictionary, you will always find its nominative form.

The accusative case (þolfall): the direct object

The accusative case is used for the direct object. This is the noun that is directly receiving the action of the verb. It answers the questions Hvern? (Whom?) or Hvað? (What?).

Notice how the form of hundur changes to hund when it’s the direct object.

In the first example, “I” (Ég) is the subject (nominative), and “the dog” (hundinn) is the direct object (accusative) because it’s the thing being seen.

The dative case (þágufall): the indirect object

The dative case is usually for the indirect object. This is the noun that receives the direct object. It answers the questions Hverjum? (To whom?) or Hverju? (To what?).

Think of it as the “to” or “for” noun.

Here, “a bone” (bein) is the direct object (accusative), and “the dog” (hundinum) is the indirect object (dative). The dog is the recipient of the bone.

The genitive case (eignarfall): showing possession

The genitive case shows ownership or possession. It’s just like using an apostrophe-s (‘s) in English. It answers the question Hvers? (Whose? or Of what?).

The word for “the dog,” hundurinn, changes to hundsins to show that the food belongs to him.

How cases work with prepositions

This is a big topic for another day, but it’s important to know that in Icelandic, prepositions (words like í, á, frá, um, til) require the noun that follows them to be in a specific case.

• Some prepositions always take the accusative (e.g., um - about).
• Some always take the dative (e.g., frá - from).
• Some always take the genitive (e.g., til - to).
• Some can take either accusative or dative depending on the meaning (e.g., í - in, á - on).

Here are a few quick examples:

Don’t worry about memorizing these right now! Just be aware that prepositions have a big say in which case you need to use.

A quick example with all cases

Seeing all the forms of one noun can be very helpful. Here is the declension for hundur (a dog) in the singular.

A note on regional variations

One piece of good news for learners is that the case system is standard all across Iceland. Whether you’re in Reykjavík or a small fishing village in the Westfjords, the grammar rules for cases are the same. This makes it a very stable and consistent part of the language to learn!

Summary

And there you have it - the four Icelandic noun cases!

It might seem like a lot to remember, but think of it like learning dance steps. At first, you have to think about every move, but with practice, it becomes natural.

My best advice is not to just memorize these charts. Instead, try to notice cases when you’re reading or listening to Icelandic. Pay attention to how words change in simple sentences. Phrases like “Ég sé…” (I see…) will almost always be followed by a word in the accusative case. Learning these patterns in context is the key.

Now you have a foundation to understand how Icelandic sentences are built. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll be using cases without even thinking about it.