og

And (Og)

Level 1

og means and: kaffi og te (coffee and tea).

How It Works

Joining words and sentences.

  • Words: kaffi og te, Anna og Jón
  • Sentences: Ég bý í Reykjavík og vinn í Kópavogi. When both parts have the same subject, you can leave it out the second time.

Lists. Icelandic spelling rules put commas between list items but not before og: bollar, diskar og glös.

Plural verb. Two subjects joined by og count as plural: Anna og Jón eru heima, not er.

Word order. og does not take the first position in the sentence after it. The next sentence keeps its normal order (verb-second word order): Ég kem heim og ég elda mat.

Numbers. og links the last two parts of a number: tuttugu og tveir (22), hundrað og tíu (110). See higher numbers.

Other small joining words. en means but, eða means or, and af því að gives a reason.

Examples (6)

  1. Anna og Jón eru heima.

    Anna and Jón are at home.

    Word by Word: Anna and Jón are home.

    Two subjects take the plural verb eru.

  2. Ég bý í Reykjavík og vinn í Kópavogi.

    I live in Reykjavík and work in Kópavogur.

    Word by Word: I live in Reykjavík and work in Kópavogur.

    The subject ég is not repeated after og.

  3. Á borðinu eru bollar, diskar og glös.

    There are cups, plates and glasses on the table.

    Word by Word: On the-table are cups, plates and glasses.

    No comma before og in a list.

  4. Hún talar íslensku og ensku.

    She speaks Icelandic and English.

    Word by Word: She speaks Icelandic and English.

  5. Það eru tuttugu og tveir nemendur í bekknum.

    There are twenty-two students in the class.

    Word by Word: It are twenty and two students in the-class.

  6. Komdu inn og fáðu þér sæti.

    Come in and have a seat.

    Word by Word: Come-you in and get-you yourself seat.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a singular verb with two subjects.

    Anna og Jón er heima.
    Anna og Jón eru heima.

    Two people joined by og are plural, so the verb is eru.

  • Putting a comma before og at the end of a list.

    Ég tala íslensku, ensku, og þýsku.
    Ég tala íslensku, ensku og þýsku.

    Icelandic spelling rules do not put a comma before og in a list.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ogLevel 1And (Og)

Learn This First

og joins two main clauses.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

tuttugu og einn