Commands (komdu, farðu)

Level 2

Komdu! (Come!) Farðu! (Go!) Taktu þetta! (Take this!) The everyday command is the verb stem with þú joined to the end.

How It Works

How the singular command is built. Start with the infinitive, drop the final -a, and add þú to the stem. The þ changes to fit the sound before it:

  • -ðu after a vowel, r, f or g: sjáðu (look), farðu (go), gerðu (do), gefðu (give), segðu (say), sofðu (sleep)
  • -du after l, m, n, ng or ð: komdu (come), gleymdu (forget), hringdu (call), bíddu (wait, from bíða). A few verbs with l or n take -tu instead, the same sound as in their past tense: fylltu (fill, past fyllti), spenntu (fasten, past spennti), as in Spenntu beltið.
  • -tu after k, p, s or t: taktu (take), kauptu (buy), lestu (read), flýttu þér (hurry up). A stem that already ends in tt just adds -u: hættu (stop).

Verbs in -aði keep their a: talaðu (speak), borðaðu (eat), hlustaðu (listen). Learn vertu (be) on its own, and for -st verbs the command keeps -st: sestu (sit down).

Talking to several people. Use the same form as þið in the present tense, ending in -ið: Komið! Farið! Takið! Talið hægar! In casual speech you will also hear komiði, with þið joined on.

Other forms you will meet. The bare stem without þú, such as kom or les, belongs to old texts, the Bible and solemn style. Everyday Icelandic uses the joined form. This is the same joining you know from ertu and viltu, and it gives the fixed phrase gerðu svo vel (here you are, go ahead).

Saying don't. Add ekki after the command: Farðu ekki! A short spoken alternative is ekki + infinitive: Ekki fara!

Softer requests. A bare command can sound direct to strangers. In writing, add vinsamlegast (please). In speech, ask with Viltu…? or Gætirðu…?

Examples (6)

  1. Komdu hingað!

    Come here!

    Word by Word: Come-you here!

  2. Farðu varlega.

    Be careful. (said to one person)

    Word by Word: Go-you carefully.

  3. Taktu þetta með þér.

    Take this with you.

    Word by Word: Take-you this with you.

  4. Segðu mér meira!

    Tell me more!

    Word by Word: Say-you me more!

  5. Sestu, gjörðu svo vel.

    Please sit down.

    Word by Word: Sit-you, do-you so well.

    sestu comes from setjast (sit down). gjörðu svo vel is a slightly more formal gerðu svo vel.

  6. Komið inn, krakkar!

    Come in, kids!

    Word by Word: Come in, kids!

    Several people are addressed, so the -ið form is used.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the ordinary present tense as a command.

    Kemur hingað!
    Komdu hingað!

    kemur only says that someone comes. A command is built from the stem kom- plus -du.

  • Adding the wrong ending to the stem.

    Takðu þetta!
    Taktu þetta!

    After k the joined þú becomes -tu, so taka gives taktu, not takðu.

  • Using the singular command for a group.

    Komdu inn, krakkar!
    Komið inn, krakkar!

    komdu speaks to one person. When you speak to several people, use the -ið form.

How It Connects

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Commands (komdu, farðu)Level 2

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