þú for Everyone

Level 1

One person: þú. More than one: þið. That is all you need, for a friend, a shop assistant or the president.

How It Works

þú and þið

  • þú: one person. Hvað heitir þú? works with a child or a company boss.
  • þið: two or more people. Viljið þið kaffi? (Would you all like coffee?) See Plural Personal Pronouns.

Icelanders also use first names with everyone, including the prime minister. See Names and Patronymics.

The þér you hear every day
þér is the dative form of þú: Hvernig líður þér? (How are you feeling?), Ég skal hjálpa þér (I will help you). See Dative Pronouns. Here þér simply means you, to anyone.

The old formal þér
Until the late 1960s people addressed strangers with a formal þér and a plural verb, Hvað viljið þér? Today you meet it only in some official letters and from a few older people. You do not need to use it. See Formal Þér.

Joined forms are normal
With þú, the verb and pronoun often join: veist þú → veistu, getur þú → geturðu. See Joined Forms.

Examples (5)

  1. Afsakið, veistu hvar pósthúsið er?

    Excuse me, do you know where the post office is?

    Word by Word: Excuse, know-you where post-office-the is?

    This is fine to say to a stranger. afsakið makes it polite, and veistu uses þú.

  2. Hvað heitir þú?

    What is your name?

    Word by Word: What are-called you?

  3. Geturðu hjálpað mér?

    Can you help me?

    Word by Word: Can-you helped me?

    geturðu is getur þú joined. You can ask anyone this way.

  4. Hvernig líður þér?

    How are you feeling?

    Word by Word: How feels you?

    þér here is the dative of þú, which líða needs. It is not formal.

  5. Viljið þið kaffi?

    Would you all like some coffee?

    Word by Word: Want you-all coffee?

    Use þið for two or more people.

Common Mistakes

  • Using þér as a polite subject with a singular verb.

    Þér ert mjög góður kennari.
    Þú ert mjög góður kennari.

    The old formal þér takes a plural verb (þér eruð) and is almost never used today. With the singular verb ert, the subject is always þú.

  • Using þú where the verb needs the dative.

    Hvernig líður þú?
    Hvernig líður þér?

    líða (to feel) takes the person in the dative, so þú becomes þér. This þér is the everyday dative, not the formal pronoun.

How It Connects

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

þú for EveryoneLevel 1

Learn This First

Using þú for everyone builds on the singular pronouns.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

þið