Neuter Nouns Like hús
Neuter nouns that end in a consonant, like hús (house), are easy in two ways: the nominative and accusative are always the same, and the nominative plural adds no ending.
How It Works
The pattern
Forms in this order: hús (house) · barn (child) · blað (newspaper).
- Nominative: hús · barn · blað
- Accusative: hús · barn · blað
- Dative: húsi · barni · blaði
- Genitive: húss · barns · blaðs
- Plural: hús, hús, húsum, húsa · börn, börn, börnum, barna · blöð, blöð, blöðum, blaða
Why the ö?
The plural forms börn and lönd once had a u ending. The ending is gone, but it left the ö behind. The genitive plural has -a, so it keeps the a: barna, landa. See The A-to-Ö Change.
One and many look alike
Nouns without an a do not change at all in the nominative plural: eitt hús, tvö hús; eitt ár, tvö ár (year); eitt orð, tvö orð (word). The number or the article tells you which one it is: húsið (the house), húsin (the houses).
With the article
húsið, húsið, húsinu, hússins; plural húsin, húsin, húsunum, húsanna. See The Attached Article in All Cases. Neuter nouns in -a and -i, like auga and fyrirtæki, follow other patterns taught later.
Examples (6)
- Þau keyptu gamalt hús við sjóinn.
They bought an old house by the sea.
Word by Word: They bought old house by sea-the.
hús is the object, and it looks just like the nominative.
- Hvað eigið þið mörg börn?
How many children do you have?
Word by Word: What own you many children?
The plural of barn is börn, with ö and no ending.
- Ég bjó eitt ár á Íslandi.
I lived in Iceland for a year.
Word by Word: I lived one year on Iceland.
ár is in the accusative, which shows how long something lasted.
- Hann les blöðin á morgnana.
He reads the newspapers in the mornings.
Word by Word: He reads papers-the in mornings-the.
blað becomes blöð in the plural, and blöðin adds the article.
- Hún hefur búið í mörgum löndum.
She has lived in many countries.
Word by Word: She has lived in many countries.
í with a location takes the dative, and the dative plural of land is löndum.
- Barnið sefur í rúminu.
The child is sleeping in the bed.
Word by Word: Child-the sleeps in bed-the.
rúm gets -i in the dative, and the article makes rúminu.
Common Mistakes
Giving a neuter noun a masculine -ar plural.
Við eigum tvö barnar.Við eigum tvö börn.Neuter nouns like barn add no ending in the nominative and accusative plural. The stem a changes to ö instead.
Forgetting the ö in the dative plural.
Ég hef búið í tveimur landum.Ég hef búið í tveimur löndum.The ending -um also turns a stem a into ö: löndum, börnum, blöðum.
Adding a plural ending to a noun like ár.
Ég bjó þar í tvö árar.Ég bjó þar í tvö ár.The plural of ár is ár. The number tvö already shows that there is more than one.
How It Connects
Learn This First
hús nouns come after the masculine model.
Related Patterns
- Noun Gender
The endings here belong to neuter nouns, so you need to know a noun's gender first.
Level 1 - Vowel Change: a → öThe A-to-Ö Change
Explains the a-to-ö change in börn, lönd and blöð.
Level 3 - Neuter Nouns in -a (auga)
Neuter nouns in -a, like auga, follow a different pattern.
Level 4 - Neuter Nouns in -i (fyrirtæki)
Neuter nouns in -i, like fyrirtæki, are another neuter group.
Level 4 - The Attached Article in All Cases
Shows the article on neuter nouns: húsið, húsinu, hússins.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice Neuter Nouns Like hús in Bubblegum
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