Nouns Like fjörður and köttur
fjörður (fjord) → í firði (in a fjord), til fjarðar (to a fjord). The vowel changes from ö to i to a.
How It Works
Two model nouns.
- fjörður (fjord): fjörður, fjörð, firði, fjarðar; plural firðir, firði, fjörðum, fjarða.
- köttur (cat): köttur, kött, ketti, kattar; plural kettir, ketti, köttum, katta.
With the article: fjörðurinn, fjörðinn, firðinum, fjarðarins and kötturinn, köttinn, kettinum, kattarins.
Other nouns like these. völlur (field) → velli, vallar, vellir; hnöttur (globe) → hnetti, hnattar, hnettir; björn (bear) → birni, bjarnar, birnir; sonur (son) → syni, sonar, synir, with o and y instead of ö and i.
Place names. Many place names end in -fjörður or -völlur, so you will meet these forms every day: í Hafnarfirði (in Hafnarfjörður), til Hafnarfjarðar (to Hafnarfjörður), á Vestfjörðum (in the Westfjords), á Keflavíkurflugvelli (at Keflavík Airport).
How to remember them. The endings are the usual ones for masculine nouns with -ir plurals and an -ar genitive (like fundur: fundi, fundar, fundir). Only the vowel is new. The ending -um in the dative plural brings ö back (the a-to-ö change): fjörðum, köttum.
Examples (6)
- Hún býr í Hafnarfirði.
She lives in Hafnarfjörður.
Word by Word: She lives in Hafnarfjörður.
Hafnarfirði is the dative after í.
- Ég er að fara til Hafnarfjarðar.
I'm going to Hafnarfjörður.
Word by Word: I am going to Hafnarfjörður's.
til takes the genitive: Hafnarfjarðar.
- Á Vestfjörðum eru margir firðir.
There are many fjords in the Westfjords.
Word by Word: On Westfjords are many fjords.
- Við keyrðum inn fjörðinn.
We drove up the fjord.
Word by Word: We drove in the fjord.
- Þau eiga tvo ketti.
They have two cats.
Word by Word: They own two cats.
ketti is the accusative plural.
- Ég gaf kettinum mat.
I gave the cat some food.
Word by Word: I gave the cat food.
kettinum is the dative singular with the article.
Common Mistakes
Keeping ö in the dative singular.
Ég gaf köttnum mat.Ég gaf kettinum mat.The dative singular of köttur has e: ketti, and with the article kettinum.
Making the plural with -ar like hestar.
Þau eiga tvo kötta.Þau eiga tvo ketti.köttur has an -ir plural with e: kettir, and the accusative is ketti.
Using an -s genitive.
Ég er að fara til Hafnarfjörðs.Ég er að fara til Hafnarfjarðar.These nouns have -ar in the genitive singular, and the vowel changes to a: fjarðar.
How It Connects
Learn This First
fjörður and köttur build on -ir plurals and u-umlaut.
Related Patterns
- Masculine Nouns Like hestur
The main masculine pattern (hestur, hestar), which these nouns differ from.
Level 2 - Plurals With a Vowel Change
Other plurals with a vowel change: maður → menn, fótur → fætur.
Level 3 - á Íslandi / í ReykjavíkIn or on with Place Names
How to say where you live, which uses these place-name forms.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice Nouns Like fjörður and köttur in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Icelandic lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
