In the following table there are the personal pronouns in nominative:
jaš | I | k(u) | we |
taj | you (sg.) | ti | you (pl.) |
se | he | si | they (m) |
mi | she | vi | they (f) |
ju | it | je | they (n) |
All personal pronouns are inflected for case. The paradigm, however, only has four items: nominative = vocative, genitive = accusative, dative = locative and instrumental.
The singular pronouns usually have two types of forms in the genitive/accusative and the dative/locative case: the short and the long ones. The long forms are used, if the pronoun stands in an accentuated position in the sentence.
Eg.
Riknel nám de jabreš. I saw you coming.
vs. Riknel nám dete. I saw you.
However, if the accentuated pronoun is fronted (especially in short questions), the short form can be used:
Rikneš či togo? vs. To rikneš? Do you see him?
Islandish is a pro-drop language, i.e., personal pronouns can be dropped before verbs.
If the pronoun is an object of a transitive verb and the referent can be deduced from context, the object pronoun can also be dropped.
Leň stakov brzej. Či kudraš? Gubľam. The new train is going. Do you like it? I love it.
Please note the gender specific pronouns must be used even for inanimates. Eg. Leň stakov nej. Nám tom brzedlem vzi Querítelu. This is the new train. I took it to Querítel.
nominative = vocative | jaš (I) |
---|---|
genitive = accusative | ne / neže |
dative = locative | ni / neži |
instrumental | nom |
nom. = voc. | taj (you-sg.) |
---|---|
gen. = acc. | de / dete |
dat. = loc. | di / deti |
inst. | dom |
nom. = voc. | se (he) |
---|---|
gen. = acc. | to / togo |
dat. = loc. | tih / tige |
inst. | tom |
nom. = voc. | mi (she) |
---|---|
gen. = acc. | me / mete |
dat. = loc. | meti |
inst. | mom |
nom. = voc. | ju (it) |
---|---|
gen. = acc. | ňe / ňete |
dat. = loc. | ňi / ňeti |
inst. | ňom |
nom. = voc. | k(u) (we) |
---|---|
gen. = acc. | čes |
dat. = loc. | čem |
inst. | čenom |
nom. = voc. | ti (you-pl.) |
---|---|
gen. = acc. | des |
dat. = loc. | dem |
inst. | denom |
nom. = voc. | si (they-m.) |
---|---|
gen. = acc. | šes |
dat. = loc. | šem |
inst. | šenom |
nom. = voc. | vi (they-f.) |
---|---|
gen. = acc. | vjes |
dat. = loc. | vjem |
inst. | vjenom |
nom. = voc. | je (they-n.) |
---|---|
gen. = acc. | jes |
dat. = loc. | jem |
inst. | jenom |