Formal vér
Vér Íslendingar (we Icelanders) is old and formal. Today people say Við Íslendingar.
How It Works
Forms.
- Subject: vér — Vér Íslendingar eigum langa sögu.
- Object (accusative and dative): oss — Drottinn, miskunna þú oss. (Lord, have mercy on us.)
- Possessive: vor, which declines like an adjective: faðir vor (m), vort daglegt brauð (n. acc.), guð vors lands (gen.).
Where you will see it.
- The Lord's Prayer: Faðir vor, þú sem ert á himnum. Gef oss í dag vort daglegt brauð.
- The national anthem: Ó, guð vors lands!
- Old royal letters began Vér Kristján hinn tíundi (We, Christian the Tenth), using the separate article in the title.
- Older laws and the sagas.
The possessive often follows the noun. In these old texts vor usually comes after the noun, as in faðir vor and land vort. In poetry the genitive can come first: guð vors lands, like the genitive before the noun.
In daily life use við, okkur, okkar. The formal you is þér.
Examples (6)
- Vér Íslendingar eigum langa sögu.
We Icelanders have a long history.
Word by Word: We Icelanders own long history.
vér takes the same verb form as við: eigum.
- Faðir vor, þú sem ert á himnum.
Our Father, who art in heaven.
Word by Word: Father our, you who are in heavens.
The first line of the Lord's Prayer. vor follows the noun.
- Gef oss í dag vort daglegt brauð.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Word by Word: Give us in day our daily bread.
oss is the object form; vort is the neuter possessive.
- Ó, guð vors lands!
O God of our land!
Word by Word: O, god our land's!
The first line of the national anthem, Lofsöngur.
- Drottinn, miskunna þú oss.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Word by Word: Lord, have-mercy you us.
- Við Íslendingar eigum langa sögu.
We Icelanders have a long history.
Word by Word: We Icelanders own long history.
Everyday: við.
Common Mistakes
Using vér as the object.
Drottinn, miskunna þú vér.Drottinn, miskunna þú oss.vér is only the subject. The object form is oss.
Using a singular verb with vér.
Vér er Íslendingar.Vér erum Íslendingar.vér means we, so the verb takes the same form as with við: erum.
How It Connects
Learn This First
vér builds on formal þér.
Related Patterns
- við / þið / þeir / þær / þauPlural Personal Pronouns
við is the everyday word for we, with the same verb forms.
Level 1 - The Separate Article (hinn, hin, hið)
Royal titles such as Kristján hinn tíundi use the separate article.
Level 6 - Genitive Before the Noun
guð vors lands puts the genitive first.
Level 6 - Reading the Sagas
vér and other old forms appear in the sagas.
Level 6 - Older Verb Forms (hefi, kvað)
Other old forms from the same kinds of texts.
Level 6
Words in This Pattern
Practice Formal vér in Bubblegum
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