Nouns for People in -ari
kenna (teach) → kennari (teacher). Hún er kennari. (She is a teacher.)
How It Works
Common -ari nouns.
- kenna (teach) → kennari (teacher)
- baka (bake) → bakari (baker). With í, bakarí is the bakery.
- leika (act, play) → leikari (actor)
- hlaupa (run) → hlaupari (runner)
- forrita (program) → forritari (programmer)
- ljósmynda (photograph) → ljósmyndari (photographer)
Some come from a related noun instead, so the vowel is different: dæma (judge) → dómari (judge, referee), from dómur; syngja (sing) → söngvari (singer), from söngur. A few name machines: prentari (printer).
The forms.
- Singular: kennari, kennara, kennara, kennara. With the article: kennarinn, kennarann, kennaranum, kennarans.
- Plural: kennarar, kennara, kennurum, kennara. With the article: kennararnir, kennarana, kennurunum, kennaranna.
In the dative plural, the a of -ar- turns into u. An a in the stem also turns into ö (see the a-to-ö change): bakari → bökurum.
Always masculine. The noun is masculine even when it names a woman, so an adjective with it is masculine too: Hún er góður kennari. (She is a good teacher.) There is no word for a before the noun (see no word for a).
Other endings for people. Nouns in -andi, like nemandi (student), also name people who do something.
Examples (6)
- Hún er kennari.
She is a teacher.
Word by Word: She is teacher.
Icelandic has no word for a before kennari.
- Pabbi minn er bakari.
My dad is a baker.
Word by Word: Dad my is baker.
- Hann vill verða leikari.
He wants to become an actor.
Word by Word: He wants become actor.
- Dómarinn gaf honum gult spjald.
The referee gave him a yellow card.
Word by Word: The referee gave him yellow card.
- Ég talaði við kennarana í gær.
I talked to the teachers yesterday.
Word by Word: I talked with the teachers yesterday.
við takes the accusative: kennarana.
- Við fórum út að borða með ljósmyndurunum.
We went out to eat with the photographers.
Word by Word: We went out to eat with the photographers.
með takes the dative, and the dative plural has u: ljósmyndurunum.
Common Mistakes
Keeping -ar- in the dative plural.
Ég fór út að borða með kennarum mínum.Ég fór út að borða með kennurum mínum.In the dative plural, the a of the ending turns into u: kennurum, bökurum, leikurum.
Making the adjective feminine for a woman.
Hún er góð kennari.Hún er góður kennari.kennari is a masculine noun, so the adjective that describes it is masculine too, even when the teacher is a woman.
How It Connects
Learn This First
-ari nouns build on weak masculine nouns.
Related Patterns
- Nouns in -andi (nemandi)
Another ending for people who do something: nemandi.
Level 4 - Vowel Change: a → öThe A-to-Ö Change
The a-to-ö change in bökurum.
Level 3 - No Word for A
Hún er kennari has no word for a.
Level 1 - Abstract Nouns (-skapur, -leiki, -dómur)
More endings that make new nouns.
Level 5 - New Words From Old Roots
Icelandic builds new words like forritari from its own roots.
Level 5
Words in This Pattern
Practice Nouns for People in -ari in Bubblegum
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