k and g Before e and i

Level 1

k and g change with the vowel after them. Before e, i, í, y, ý, ei, ey and usually æ, they get a y glide: kenna sounds like "kyenna", gefa like "gyeva".

How It Works

Plain or with a y glide

  • Plain k and g before a, á, o, ó, u, ú, ö and au: kaffi (coffee), kona (woman), góður (good), gata (street).
  • ky and gy before e, i, í, y, ý, ei, ey and usually æ: kenna (teach), kex (cookies), kind (sheep), keyra (drive), gefa (give), gera (do), geyma (keep).

The same happens to kk, gg, nk and ng: ekki (not) ends in a "kyi" sound, and the kk also gets the breath described in A Breath Before PP, TT and KK. The list says usually æ because a few loanwords, such as gæd (guide), keep a plain g.

How it is spelled
You never write the y sound before e, i, í, y, ý, ei, ey or æ: it is keyra, not kjeyra. Before the other vowels you must write it as j: kjöt (meat), gjöf (gift), kjóll (dress). So kjóla (dresses) and kóla (cola) are different words.

G between vowels

  • Between vowels, or before ð, g is a soft sound made at the back of the throat, a little like a gentle gargle: dagur (day), saga (story), sagði (said).
  • After a vowel and before i or j, it becomes a y sound: lagi in allt í lagi (okay), daginn in Góðan daginn, segja (say).

The vowels in these lists are taught in The Accented Vowels and The Sounds Æ, AU, EI and EY.

Examples (6)

  1. Hvað ertu að gera?

    What are you doing?

    Word by Word: What are-you to do?

    The g in gera comes before e, so it sounds like "gyera".

  2. Ég kenni ensku í skólanum.

    I teach English at the school.

    Word by Word: I teach English in the-school.

    kenni has the "ky" sound. In skólanum, k comes before ó, so it stays plain.

  3. Viltu kaffi og kex?

    Would you like coffee and cookies?

    Word by Word: Want-you coffee and cookies?

    Both words start with k, but only kex, with e after the k, gets the y glide.

  4. Við keyrum heim í kvöld.

    We are driving home tonight.

    Word by Word: We drive home in evening.

    keyrum starts with "ky" because of ey. kvöld has a plain k because v follows it.

  5. Þetta er góður dagur.

    This is a good day.

    Word by Word: This is good day.

    góður starts with a plain g. In dagur, g sits between vowels, so it is soft.

  6. Það er allt í lagi.

    That's okay.

    Word by Word: It is all in order.

    In lagi, g comes before i after a vowel, so it sounds like y: "la-yi".

Common Mistakes

  • Writing the y glide as j before e, i, ey and the other front vowels.

    Ég kjenni ensku.
    Ég kenni ensku.

    You hear a y sound after k in kenni, but Icelandic spelling never writes j before e, ei, ey, i, í, y, ý or æ. Write keyra, gera, kenna.

  • Leaving out the j before a back vowel.

    Ég borða ekki köt.
    Ég borða ekki kjöt.

    Before a, á, o, ó, u, ú and ö, the y sound must be written as j: kjöt (meat), gjöf (gift). köt is not the word for meat.

How It Connects

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

k and g Before e and iLevel 1

Learn This First

The glide before front vowels builds on the vowel sounds.