The Accusative (þolfall)
The accusative (þolfall) marks most objects: Ég sé manninn (I see the man). It also shows movement: Ég fer í bæinn.
How It Works
Direct objects. The thing a verb acts on is usually accusative:
- Ég sé manninn. (maðurinn → manninn)
- Hún keypti nýjan bíl. (nýr bíll → nýjan bíl)
- Ég á tvo bræður. (tveir → tvo)
Some verbs take the dative or genitive instead, such as hjálpa and sakna; see dative case and genitive case.
Movement with í and á. Ég fer í bæinn (I am going into town) uses the accusative, while Ég er í bænum (I am in town) uses the dative.
Time. A length of time is accusative: alla vikuna (all week), allan daginn (all day). The greeting Góðan daginn! is also accusative.
Prepositions. um (about, around), í gegnum (through) and í kringum (around) always take the accusative: Við gengum í kringum vatnið. More are listed in accusative prepositions.
The pronouns. mig, þig, hann, hana, það; see mig/þig/hann/hana.
Examples (6)
- Ég sé manninn.
I see the man.
Word by Word: I see man-the.
- Hún keypti nýjan bíl.
She bought a new car.
Word by Word: She bought new car.
nýr bíll becomes nýjan bíl as an object.
- Við förum í bæinn.
We are going into town.
Word by Word: We go into town-the.
Movement into a place: accusative after í.
- Hún var hér alla vikuna.
She was here all week.
Word by Word: She was here all week-the.
- Við gengum í kringum vatnið.
We walked around the lake.
Word by Word: We walked in around lake-the.
- Góðan daginn!
Good morning!
Word by Word: Good day-the!
Greetings like this one are in the accusative.
Common Mistakes
Leaving the object in the nominative.
Ég sé maðurinn.Ég sé manninn.maðurinn is the one being seen, so it is the object and changes to the accusative manninn.
Using the dative for movement into a place.
Ég fer í skólanum.Ég fer í skólann.fara means you are moving toward the school, so í takes the accusative. skólanum means you are already there.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The accusative builds on the nominative and object pronouns.
Related Patterns
- The Four Cases
Introduces all four cases.
Level 1 - Movement or Location With í and á
When í and á take the accusative and when the dative.
Level 2 - The Dative (þágufall)
The case for location and for verbs like hjálpa.
Level 2 - Prepositions With the Accusative
The full list of prepositions that take the accusative.
Level 3 - mig langarWanting (Mig Langar)
A verb whose "subject" is in the accusative.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice The Accusative (þolfall) in Bubblegum
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