Small Letters for Days, Months and Languages

Level 2

Small letter: mánudagur, janúar, íslenska, íslenskur matur. Capital letter: Ísland, Íslendingur, Pólverji.

How It Works

Small letter

  • Days: mánudagur, föstudagur. See Days of the Week.
  • Months: janúar, júní, desember. See Months and Dates.
  • Holidays: jól (Christmas), páskar (Easter).
  • Languages: íslenska, enska, pólska. See Speaking a Language.
  • Adjectives of nationality: íslenskur matur (Icelandic food), pólsk bók (a Polish book).

Capital letter

  • Countries and places: Ísland, Pólland, Reykjavík.
  • Nouns for people from a country or place: Íslendingur (an Icelander), Pólverji (a Pole), Reykvíkingur (someone from Reykjavík).
  • Names of people: Jón, Guðrún.

Two ways to say your nationality
With a noun, use a capital: Ég er Íslendingur. With an adjective, use a small letter: Ég er íslensk. Both mean I am Icelandic.

The first word
Like in English, the first word of a sentence always starts with a capital: Mánudagur er erfiður dagur.

Examples (6)

  1. Ég fer til Íslands í júní.

    I am going to Iceland in June.

    Word by Word: I go to Iceland in June.

    Íslands is a country, so it has a capital. júní is a month, so it does not.

  2. Skólinn byrjar á mánudaginn.

    School starts on Monday.

    Word by Word: The-school begins on the-Monday.

  3. Hún talar íslensku og pólsku.

    She speaks Icelandic and Polish.

    Word by Word: She speaks Icelandic and Polish.

  4. Ég er Íslendingur.

    I am Icelandic.

    Word by Word: I am Icelander.

    Íslendingur is a noun for a person, so it has a capital.

  5. Mér finnst íslenskur matur góður.

    I like Icelandic food.

    Word by Word: To-me finds Icelandic food good.

    íslenskur is an adjective, so it has a small letter.

  6. Við höldum jól í desember.

    We celebrate Christmas in December.

    Word by Word: We hold Christmas in December.

Common Mistakes

  • Capitalizing a language.

    Ég tala Íslensku.
    Ég tala íslensku.

    Names of languages start with a small letter in Icelandic.

  • Capitalizing a day of the week.

    Hann kemur á Mánudaginn.
    Hann kemur á mánudaginn.

    Days and months start with a small letter unless they begin the sentence.

  • Writing a noun for a person with a small letter.

    Hann er pólverji.
    Hann er Pólverji.

    Nouns for people from a country are capitalized. The adjective is small: Hann er pólskur.

How It Connects

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

Small Letters for Days, Months and LanguagesLevel 2

Learn This First

Small letters build on dates and languages.