Level A1
There are four cases in Icelandic. The second case in the declension table is known as the “accusative case”.[a] It shows that the word is having something done to it.
The helper word you use to force a word into the second case is „um“ (“about”).
Things that cause the second case
The following prepositions always cause the second case:
- um (about)
- gegnum (through)
- kringum (around)
And these prepositions can either cause the second or the third case depending on context (click here to see the difference):
- á (onto)
- eftir (after)
- fyrir (for)
- í (into)
- með (with)
- undir (under)
- við (by)
- yfir (over)
The majority of verbs cause the second case. Among common verbs that do so are:
- að eiga (to own)
- að hafa (to have)
- að tala (to speak)
- að geta (to be able to)
- að vilja (to want)