The Prefix ó-

Level 4

ó- + heppinn (lucky) → óheppinn (unlucky). The prefix turns the word into its opposite.

How It Works

Adjectives. Most ó- words are adjectives. The rest of the word does not change, and the endings stay the same:

  • ánægður → óánægður (satisfied → dissatisfied)
  • heppinn → óheppinn (lucky → unlucky)
  • mögulegur → ómögulegur (possible → impossible)
  • þekktur → óþekktur (known → unknown)
  • hollur → óhollur (healthy → unhealthy)
  • þolinmóður → óþolinmóður (patient → impatient)

Adjectives in -legur take ó- very often: ólöglegur (illegal), óþægilegur (uncomfortable), óeðlilegur (unnatural).

Nouns. ó- also goes on nouns. Some are simple opposites: óheppni (bad luck), ósigur (defeat, from sigur, victory). Others mean a bad kind of something: óveður (a storm, from veður, weather) and ólykt (a bad smell, from lykt, smell).

Adverbs. Adverbs made from ó- adjectives keep the prefix: óvenjulega (unusually). ótrúlega (unbelievably) is often used just to mean very: ótrúlega gott (incredibly good).

Not for saying "not" with a verb. To say that someone does not do something, use ekki: Ég skil þetta ekki (I don't understand this).

Check the meaning. A few ó- words have a meaning of their own. óþekkur means naughty, while óþekktur means unknown. ókeypis means free of charge.

Examples (6)

  1. Hann var óánægður með matinn.

    He was unhappy with the food.

    Word by Word: He was un-satisfied with the-food.

  2. Það er ómögulegt að finna bílastæði hér.

    It's impossible to find a parking space here.

    Word by Word: It is impossible to find parking-space here.

  3. Við vorum óheppin með veðrið.

    We were unlucky with the weather.

    Word by Word: We were unlucky with the-weather.

    óheppin is the neuter plural, used for a mixed group of people.

  4. Það var óveður í alla nótt.

    There was a storm all night.

    Word by Word: It was un-weather in all night.

  5. Aðgangur er ókeypis.

    Admission is free.

    Word by Word: Admission is free-of-charge.

  6. Maturinn var ótrúlega góður.

    The food was incredibly good.

    Word by Word: The-food was unbelievably good.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting ó- on a verb to make it negative.

    Ég óskil þetta.
    Ég skil þetta ekki.

    ó- is not used to make a verb negative. To say that you do not do something, put ekki after the verb.

  • Mixing up óþekkur and óþekktur.

    Hún er óþekk söngkona.
    Hún er óþekkt söngkona.

    The speaker means an unknown singer. óþekk comes from óþekkur, which means naughty. Unknown is óþekktur, built on the participle þekktur.

How It Connects

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

The Prefix ó-Level 4

Learn This First

ó- builds on -legur.

Words in This Pattern

ó-