Feminine Nouns in -a

Level 2

Feminine nouns that end in -a, like kona (woman), have -a in the nominative and -u in every other singular case: kona, konu, konu, konu.

How It Works

The pattern
Forms in this order: kona (woman) · saga (story).

  • Nominative: kona · saga
  • Accusative: konu · sögu
  • Dative: konu · sögu
  • Genitive: konu · sögu
  • Plural: konur, konur, konum, kvenna · sögur, sögur, sögum, sagna

The a-to-ö change
Whenever the ending has a u, a stem a becomes ö. That is why you see sögu, sögur, sögum but saga and sagna. More examples: taska → tösku (bag), kaka → köku (cake), mamma → mömmu, gata → götu (street). See The A-to-Ö Change.

The genitive plural
Many of these nouns add -na: sagna, gatna, vikna (of weeks), stelpna (of girls). Others just add -a, so the genitive plural of taska is taska and of mamma is mamma. kona is irregular: kvenna. You will not need this form often at first.

With the article
konan, konuna, konunni, konunnar. The article loses its i after the vowel ending. See The Attached Article in All Cases.

Examples (6)

  1. Hver er konan í bláu úlpunni?

    Who is the woman in the blue coat?

    Word by Word: Who is woman-the in blue coat-the?

    konan is the nominative. úlpunni is the dative of úlpa with the article.

  2. Ég er að lesa góða sögu.

    I'm reading a good story.

    Word by Word: I am to read good story.

    saga is the object, so it becomes sögu, with ö.

  3. Viltu köku með kaffinu?

    Would you like some cake with your coffee?

    Word by Word: Want-you cake with coffee-the?

    kaka becomes köku in the accusative.

  4. Ég hringi í mömmu á hverjum degi.

    I call Mom every day.

    Word by Word: I ring in mom on every day.

    hringja í takes the accusative: mamma → mömmu.

  5. Við búum við rólega götu.

    We live on a quiet street.

    Word by Word: We live by quiet street.

    við takes the accusative here: gata → götu.

  6. Ég verð hérna í tvær vikur.

    I'll be here for two weeks.

    Word by Word: I will-be here in two weeks.

    The plural of vika is vikur.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping -a when the noun is an object.

    Ég er að lesa góða saga.
    Ég er að lesa góða sögu.

    Only the nominative ends in -a. The object form is sögu, with -u and with a changed to ö.

  • Adding -u but forgetting the vowel change.

    Viltu kaku?
    Viltu köku?

    When the ending has a u, the stem a becomes ö: kaka → köku, taska → tösku.

  • Making the plural with -ar.

    Ég verð hérna í tvær vikar.
    Ég verð hérna í tvær vikur.

    Feminine nouns in -a make their plural with -ur: vikur, konur, sögur.

How It Connects

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

Feminine Nouns in -aLevel 2

Learn This First

kona nouns build on both earlier weak and feminine patterns.

Words in This Pattern

-a-u-ur