ýmis / sérhver

Various and Every Single (Ýmis, Sérhver)

Level 5

Það eru ýmsar leiðir til að læra íslensku. (There are various ways to learn Icelandic.) Sérhver nemandi fær bók. (Every single student gets a book.)

How It Works

ýmis (various). The plural forms are the ones you need most:

  • Masculine: ýmsir menn (various men), accusative ýmsa menn
  • Feminine: ýmsar leiðir (various ways)
  • Neuter: ýmis mál, ýmis vandamál (various matters, problems)
  • Dative, all genders: í ýmsum löndum (in various countries)
  • Genitive, all genders: ýmissa

The i drops out before an ending that starts with a vowel: ýmis → ýmsir. The singular is used in set phrases like á ýmsan hátt (in various ways). ýmislegt means "various things": Ég keypti ýmislegt.

sérhver (every single). It declines like hver: sérhver (masculine and feminine), sérhvert (neuter), sérhvern (masculine accusative), sérhverjum (dative). The noun is singular: sérhver nemandi, sérhvert barn. It is a little formal. In everyday speech people often say hver, hver og einn or allir.

Agreement. Both words agree with their noun, like any adjective: ýmsar ástæður (feminine), sérhvert land (neuter).

Examples (6)

  1. Við ræddum ýmis mál á fundinum.

    We discussed various matters at the meeting.

    Word by Word: We discussed various matters at the-meeting.

  2. Það eru ýmsar leiðir til að læra íslensku.

    There are various ways to learn Icelandic.

    Word by Word: It are various ways to to learn Icelandic.

  3. Hann hefur búið í ýmsum löndum.

    He has lived in various countries.

    Word by Word: He has lived in various (DAT) countries.

  4. Ég keypti ýmislegt í búðinni.

    I bought various things in the shop.

    Word by Word: I bought various-things in the-shop.

  5. Sérhver nemandi fær eina bók.

    Every single student gets one book.

    Word by Word: Every-single student gets one book.

  6. Sérhvert barn á rétt á menntun.

    Every child has a right to education.

    Word by Word: Every-single child owns right on education.

    sérhvert is neuter because barn is neuter.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the wrong gender with ýmis.

    Það eru ýmsir leiðir til að læra íslensku.
    Það eru ýmsar leiðir til að læra íslensku.

    leið is feminine, so the plural is ýmsar.

  • Using a plural noun after sérhver.

    Sérhver nemendur fá bók.
    Sérhver nemandi fær bók.

    sérhver means each one on its own, so the noun and the verb are singular.

  • Forgetting the dative after a preposition.

    Hann hefur búið í ýmis löndum.
    Hann hefur búið í ýmsum löndum.

    í takes the dative here, so ýmis changes to ýmsum.

How It Connects

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

ýmis / sérhverLevel 5Various and Every Single (Ýmis, Sérhver)

Learn This First

ýmis and sérhver build on hver (each).

Words in This Pattern

ýmisýmsirýmsumsérhversérhversérhvert