The Nominative (nefnifall)

Level 2

The nominative (nefnifall) is the dictionary form. It marks the subject: Maðurinn býr hér (The man lives here).

How It Works

The dictionary form. When you look up maður, kona or barn, you see the nominative singular. The article also has a nominative form: maðurinn, konan, barnið.

Uses.

  • The subject: Maðurinn býr hér. Bókin er á borðinu.
  • After vera (be) and verða (become): Hún er læknir. Hann verður kennari. Adjectives here are nominative too: Hann er þreyttur.
  • The name after heita: Ég heiti Anna.
  • Calling to someone: Komdu sæll, Jón!

Not every subject is nominative. Some verbs have their "subject" in the dative or accusative: Mér finnst, Mig langar. See oblique subjects. After prepositions and as objects, nouns usually change to the accusative, dative or genitive.

Examples (6)

  1. Maðurinn býr hér.

    The man lives here.

    Word by Word: Man-the lives here.

  2. Hún er læknir.

    She is a doctor.

    Word by Word: She is doctor.

    After vera, the noun stays in the nominative.

  3. Þetta er Jón.

    This is Jón.

    Word by Word: This is Jón.

  4. Bókin er á borðinu.

    The book is on the table.

    Word by Word: Book-the is on table-the.

    bókin is the subject; borðinu is dative after á.

  5. Ég heiti Anna.

    My name is Anna.

    Word by Word: I am-called Anna.

  6. Hann verður kennari.

    He is going to be a teacher.

    Word by Word: He becomes teacher.

Common Mistakes

  • Changing the noun after vera as if it were an object.

    Hann er lækni.
    Hann er læknir.

    vera does not take an object. The noun after it describes the subject, so it stays in the nominative.

  • Changing the name after heita.

    Hún heitir Önnu.
    Hún heitir Anna.

    The name after heita stays in the nominative, the form you would use for the subject.

  • Using a nominative subject with a verb that needs another case.

    Ég langar í kaffi.
    Mig langar í kaffi.

    langa takes its "subject" in the accusative. A few common verbs work this way, so learn them with their pronoun: mig langar, mér finnst.

How It Connects

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The Nominative (nefnifall)Level 2

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The nominative builds on the case overview.

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veraverðaheita