til
To (Til)
til means to and is followed by the genitive: Við förum til Íslands. (We are going to Iceland.)
How It Works
Always the genitive. til is one of the few common prepositions that take the genitive:
- Ísland → til Íslands
- Reykjavík → til Reykjavíkur
- Akureyri → til Akureyrar
- læknir → til læknis (to the doctor)
- ég → til mín, þú → til þín
Going to a place or a person. til is the usual word for travelling to a country or town: Ég fer til Spánar. With a person it means to that person or to their home: Ég fer til mömmu (I am going to Mom's). The question word is hvert (where to); see hvar/hvert/hvaðan.
Buildings and activities. Going into a building or to an activity usually takes í or á with the accusative instead: Ég fer í skólann, Hún fór á pósthúsið.
For someone. til can also mean for or addressed to: Þetta bréf er til þín. (This letter is for you.)
Until. With frá it marks the end of a range: frá níu til fimm (from nine to five).
til also appears in many fixed expressions, such as til að (in order to), er til (there is) and hlakka til (look forward to).
Examples (6)
- Við förum til Íslands í sumar.
We are going to Iceland this summer.
Word by Word: We go to Iceland in summer.
Ísland becomes Íslands in the genitive.
- Ég fer til Reykjavíkur á morgun.
I am going to Reykjavík tomorrow.
Word by Word: I go to Reykjavík on morrow.
Reykjavík becomes Reykjavíkur.
- Hún fór til læknis.
She went to the doctor.
Word by Word: She went to doctor.
- Komdu til mín!
Come over to me!
Word by Word: Come-you to me!
mín is the genitive of ég.
- Þetta bréf er til þín.
This letter is for you.
Word by Word: This letter is to you.
- Ég vinn frá níu til fimm.
I work from nine to five.
Word by Word: I work from nine to five.
Common Mistakes
Leaving the place name in its dictionary form after til.
Við förum til Ísland.Við förum til Íslands.til always takes the genitive, so Ísland becomes Íslands.
Using the accusative pronoun after til.
Komdu til mig!Komdu til mín!Pronouns after til are genitive: mín, þín, hans, hennar.
How It Connects
Learn This First
til is the partner of frá.
Related Patterns
- The Genitive (eignarfall)
The case that til always takes.
Level 2 - Prepositions With the Genitive
til is the most common preposition with the genitive.
Level 3 - hvar / hvert / hvaðanWhere, Where to and Where from
hvert asks where someone is going.
Level 1 - til aðIn Order to (Til Að)
A fixed use of til: in order to.
Level 3 - er tilIs There Any? (Er Til)
A fixed use of til: there is, it exists.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice til in Bubblegum
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