Islandish verbs inflect in the following categories:
Person: 1.,2.,3.
Number: singular, plural
Aspect: perfective, imperfective, habitual (see dedicated article)
Mood: indicative, potential, commissive, conditional, imperative
Voice: active, passive, causative
Gender: masculine, feminine, neuter - only in past and passive participle
Tense: pre-past, past, present, pre-future, future + simple past (literary), simple future (literary)
There are the following infinite forms for each aspect: infinitive, past participle, passive participle and transgressive.
The citation form is the imperfective infinitive, usually complemented with the imperfective second person active present.
There are two conjugation categories: the most numerous are the -ti verbs, and then there is the -kti/-hti category, which has three sub-categories: the -češ, the -šeš and the -žeš verbs (ending 2p sg imperf. pres.).
Indicative
Present
-ti conjugation
The imperfective infinitive of -ti verbs ends in -ti, the perfective infinitive in -sti and the habitual infinitive in -vati.
| Imperfective | Perfective | Habitual |
|---|---|---|---|
1.sg. | -m | -dem | -jjem |
2.sg. | -š | -deš | -jješ |
3.sg. | -j | -dej | -vej |
1.pl. | -mi | -dmi | -jjmi |
2.pl. | -te | -dete | -jjte |
3.pl. | -ju | -du | -vaju |
Example: pleti - to know
| pleti | plesti | plevati |
|---|---|---|---|
1.sg. | plem | pledem | plejem |
2.sg. | pleš | pledeš | pleješ |
3.sg. | plej | pledej | plevej |
1.pl. | plemi | pledmi | plejmi |
2.pl. | plete | pledete | plejte |
3.pl. | pleju | pledu | plevaju |
-kti/-hti conjugation
All verbs of this conjugation have a double hard consonant at the end of the root. Therefore, the infinitive of these verbs, due to softening, ends in -kti (-žeš and -češ verbs) or -hti (-šeš verbs) in the imperfective, -ci (-češ verbs), -si (-šes verbs) or -zi (-žeš verbs) in the perfective and -kati (-češ verbs), -hati (-šes verbs) or -gati (-žeš verbs) in the habitual.
The endings are as follows:
| Imperfective | Perfective | Habitual |
|---|---|---|---|
1.sg. | -jjem | -nem | -am |
2.sg. | -jješ | -neš | -aš |
3.sg. | -jjej | -nej | -a |
1.pl. | -jjmi | -nemi | -ami |
2.pl. | -jjte | -nete | -ate |
3.pl. | -u | -nu | -aju |
Example: šelkti - to live, to stay
| šelkti | šelci | šelkati |
|---|---|---|---|
1.sg. | šelčem | šelknem | šelkam |
2.sg. | šelčeš | šelkneš | šelkaš |
3.sg. | šelčej | šelknej | šelkaj |
1.pl. | šelčmi | šelknemi | šelkami |
2.pl. | šelčte | šelknete | šelkate |
3.pl. | šelku | šelknu | šelkaju |
Simple past
Simple past, apart from the verb viti (to be) and véti (to have) is only used in literature works and official documents. Colloquially, compound tenses are used.
| Imperfective | Perfective | Habitual |
|---|---|---|---|
1.sg. | -h/-jjeh | -deh/-neh | -jjeh/-ah |
2.sg. | -še/-jješe | -če/-neše | -jjše/-aše |
3.sg. | -ha/-jjeha | -deha/-neha | -jjeha/-aha |
1.pl. | -mih/-jjmih | -dmih/-nemih | -jjmih/-amih |
2.pl. | -teh/-jjteh | -deteh/-neh | -jjteh/-ateh |
3.pl. | -hu/-jjehu | -dehu, -nehu | -jjehu/-ahu |
After the slash, the endings for the -kti/-hti verbs are provided.
| pleti | plesti | plevati |
|---|---|---|---|
1.sg. | pleh | pledeh | plejeh |
2.sg. | pleše | pleče | plejše |
3.sg. | pleha | pledeha | plejeha |
1.pl. | plemih | pledmih | plejmih |
2.pl. | pleteh | pledeteh | plejteh |
3.pl. | plehu | pledehu | plejehu |
The colloquially still used forms of véti are: véh, véše, véha, vémih, véteh, véhu. They are used only in the imperfective.
| šelkti | šelci | šelkati |
|---|---|---|---|
1.sg. | šelčeh | šelkneh | šelkah |
2.sg. | šelčeše | šelkneše | šelkaše |
3.sg. | šelčeha | šelkneha | šelkaha |
1.pl. | šelčmih | šelknemih | šelkamih |
2.pl. | šelčteh | šelkneteh | šelkateh |
3.pl. | šelčehu | šelknehu | šelkahu |
Simple future
Apart from the verbs viti and véti (in the imperfective) the simple future is only used in literature and official documents.
| Imperfective | Perfective | Habitual |
|---|---|---|---|
1.sg. | -rem/-jjrem | -drem/-nerem | -vrem/-arem |
2.sg. | -reš/-jjreš | -dreš/-nereš | -vreš/-areš |
3.sg. | -rej/-jjrej | -drej/-nerej | -vrej/-arej |
1.pl. | -rmi/-jjremi | -dremi/-nermi | -vremi/-armi |
2.pl. | -rte/-jjrete | -drete/-nerte | -vrete/-arte |
3.pl. | -ru/-jjru | -dru/-neru | -vru/-aru |
| pleti | plesti | plevati |
|---|---|---|---|
1.sg. | plerem | pledrem | plevrem |
2.sg. | plereš | pledreš | plevreš |
3.sg. | plerej | pledrej | plevrej |
1.pl. | plermi | pledremi | plevremi |
2.pl. | plerte | pledrete | plevrete |
3.pl. | pleru | pledru | plevru |
The imperfective forms of véti, which are still used colloquially, are: vérem, véreš, vérej, vérmi, vérte, véru.
| šelkti | šelci | šelkati |
|---|---|---|---|
1.sg. | šelčrem | šelknerem | šelkarem |
2.sg. | šelčreš | šelknereš | šelkareš |
3.sg. | šelčrej | šelknerej | šelkarej |
1.pl. | šelčremi | šelknermi | šelkarmi |
2.pl. | šelčrete | šelknerte | šelkarte |
3.pl. | šelčru | šelkneru | šelkaru |