einu sinni / tvisvar

Once, Twice and Times

Level 2

einu sinni (once), tvisvar (twice), þrisvar (three times), then fjórum sinnum, fimm sinnum and so on.

How It Works

The forms.

  • einu sinni (once)
  • tvisvar (twice)
  • þrisvar (three times)
  • fjórum sinnum (four times)
  • fimm sinnum, sex sinnum, tíu sinnum (five, six, ten times)
  • nokkrum sinnum (a few times), mörgum sinnum (many times)

sinni and sinnum are dative forms of the neuter noun sinn, so the word in front is dative too: einu, fjórum, nokkrum (numbers 1-4, dative case). You may also hear tvisvar sinnum and þrisvar sinnum, which mean the same.

How often. Add a time period:

  • tvisvar á dag (twice a day)
  • þrisvar í viku (three times a week)
  • einu sinni á ári (once a year)

Other meanings of einu sinni. It can mean "once, at one time" in the past: Einu sinni bjó ég í Danmörku (I once lived in Denmark). Stories start with Einu sinni var ... (Once upon a time there was ...). einu sinni enn means "once more".

For the first time. Use an ordinal number with sinn: í fyrsta sinn (for the first time).

Examples (6)

  1. Ég hef einu sinni komið til Akureyrar.

    I have been to Akureyri once.

    Word by Word: I have one time come to Akureyri.

  2. Ég fer í ræktina þrisvar í viku.

    I go to the gym three times a week.

    Word by Word: I go into the-gym thrice in week.

  3. Hún hringdi tvisvar í morgun.

    She called twice this morning.

    Word by Word: She rang twice in morning.

  4. Ég hef séð myndina fjórum sinnum.

    I have seen the film four times.

    Word by Word: I have seen the-film four times.

    sinnum is dative plural, so four is fjórum.

  5. Taktu eina töflu tvisvar á dag.

    Take one tablet twice a day.

    Word by Word: Take one tablet twice on day.

  6. Einu sinni bjó ég í Danmörku.

    I once lived in Denmark.

    Word by Word: One time lived I in Denmark.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the plain number four with sinnum.

    Ég hef séð myndina fjórir sinnum.
    Ég hef séð myndina fjórum sinnum.

    sinnum is dative, so the number must be dative too: fjórum.

  • Building "twice" from the number two.

    Ég fer tvö sinnum í viku.
    Ég fer tvisvar í viku.

    Two and three times have their own words: tvisvar and þrisvar.

How It Connects

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

einu sinni / tvisvarLevel 2Once, Twice and Times

Learn This First

Once and twice build on numbers and frequency words.

Words in This Pattern

einu sinnitvisvarþrisvarsinnum