sá / sú / það

That (Sá, Sú, Það)

Level 4

Á þeim tíma bjó ég í Kaupmannahöfn. (At that time I lived in Copenhagen.) þeim is a form of sá.

How It Works

The forms.

  • Masculine: sá, þann, þeim, þess; plural þeir, þá, þeim, þeirra
  • Feminine: sú, þá, þeirri, þeirrar; plural þær, þær, þeim, þeirra
  • Neuter: það, það, því, þess; plural þau, þau, þeim, þeirra

Where you hear it.

  • Before sem, to say "the one who": Sú kona sem ég talaði við var hjálpsöm. See sá sem and það sem.
  • In fixed time phrases: á þeim tíma (at that time), í þá daga (in those days), þann dag (that day).
  • In everyday words built from it: þess vegna (that is why), því (because, therefore).
  • In writing, to point back to something just mentioned: Ég man vel eftir þeim degi.

No article on the noun. The noun after sá has no attached article: sá maður, sú bók. This is different from hinn, which needs it (hinn maðurinn).

In speech. To point at something you can see, people usually say þessi, often with þarna (there) or hérna (here): Sjáðu þennan bíl þarna! (Look at that car there!)

Examples (6)

  1. Á þeim tíma bjó ég í Kaupmannahöfn.

    At that time I lived in Copenhagen.

    Word by Word: On that time lived I in Copenhagen.

  2. Ég man vel eftir þeim degi.

    I remember that day well.

    Word by Word: I remember well after that day.

    muna eftir takes the dative: þeim degi.

  3. Í þá daga voru fáir bílar á Íslandi.

    In those days there were few cars in Iceland.

    Word by Word: In those days were few cars on Iceland.

    þá is the masculine accusative plural, after í.

  4. Sú kona sem ég talaði við var mjög hjálpsöm.

    The woman I spoke to was very helpful.

    Word by Word: That woman who I talked with was very helpful.

  5. Þess vegna kom ég ekki.

    That's why I didn't come.

    Word by Word: Of-that because came I not.

  6. Sjáðu þennan bíl þarna!

    Look at that car over there!

    Word by Word: See-you this car there!

    In speech, þessi ... þarna is the usual way to point.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving sá in the nominative after a verb.

    Ég þekki sá mann.
    Ég þekki þann mann.

    The object of þekkja is in the accusative, and the masculine accusative of sá is þann.

  • Using the masculine form with a feminine noun.

    Sá kona sem ég talaði við var hjálpsöm.
    Sú kona sem ég talaði við var hjálpsöm.

    kona is feminine, so the feminine form sú is needed.

How It Connects

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

sá / sú / þaðLevel 4That (Sá, Sú, Það)

Learn This First

sá builds on þessi and sá sem.

Words in This Pattern

sásásúþannþeimþesssemþessiþarna