Past Tense in -aði
Verbs like tala add -aði in the past: Ég talaði við hana (I talked to her).
How It Works
Which verbs. This group is the verbs whose present looks like ég tala, þú talar (present tense a-verbs). It is the largest group of regular verbs: tala, borða, kalla, byrja, hlusta, vakna, opna, elda, nota, borga, ætla.
The forms of tala.
- ég talaði, þú talaðir, hann / hún / það talaði
- við töluðum, þið töluðuð, þeir / þær / þau töluðu
ég and hann/hún have the same form. Only þú adds -r.
The a-to-ö change. In the plural the ending has u, so a stressed a in the stem becomes ö (u-umlaut): tala → töluðum, kalla → kölluðum, vakna → vöknuðum. Verbs without a in the stem do not change: borða → borðuðum, byrja → byrjuðum.
The supine. These verbs have the supine in -að: talað, borðað, kallað. So the principal parts are tala, talaði, talað.
Other groups. Verbs with -i in the present (ég læri) take -ði, -di or -ti instead, and strong verbs change their vowel (strong verbs past).
Examples (6)
- Ég talaði við mömmu í gær.
I talked to Mom yesterday.
Word by Word: I talked with mom yesterday.
- Við borðuðum saman í gærkvöldi.
We ate together last night.
Word by Word: We ate together last-night.
- Hún kallaði á hundinn.
She called the dog.
Word by Word: She called on the-dog.
- Hvenær byrjaðirðu að læra íslensku?
When did you start learning Icelandic?
Word by Word: When started-you to learn Icelandic?
byrjaðirðu is byrjaðir þú joined together.
- Ég vaknaði klukkan sjö.
I woke up at seven.
Word by Word: I woke at-clock seven.
- Þau hlustuðu á tónlist.
They listened to music.
Word by Word: They listened on music.
Common Mistakes
Forgetting the a-to-ö change in the plural.
Við talaðum saman.Við töluðum saman.The plural endings contain u, and they turn the a of tala into ö.
Using the ég form with þú.
Þú talaði við hann.Þú talaðir við hann.With þú the past form ends in -r: talaðir.
Adding -aði to a verb from the -ði group.
Ég læraði íslensku.Ég lærði íslensku.læra has -i in the present (ég læri), so its past is lærði, not læraði.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The -aði past builds on a-verbs.
Related Patterns
- Vowel Change: a → öThe A-to-Ö Change
Explains the a-to-ö change in töluðum.
Level 3 - Past Tense in -ði, -di and -ti
The other group of regular verbs.
Level 2 - Past Tense With a Vowel Change
Verbs that change their vowel instead of adding -aði.
Level 2 - The Supine (sagnbót)
These verbs have the supine in -að.
Level 2 - Groups of Regular Verbs
An overview of all the groups of regular verbs.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Past Tense in -aði in Bubblegum
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