Verbs Ending in -st
Ég ferðast mikið. (I travel a lot.) Við hittumst á morgun. (We'll meet tomorrow.) The ending -st stays on the verb in every form.
How It Works
Three kinds of meaning.
- Reflexive, like doing it to yourself: setjast (sit down, from setja, put), klæðast (get dressed, wear)
- Mutual, doing it to each other: hittast (meet), kyssast (kiss), sjást (see each other). See Each Other With -st.
- Their own meaning: ferðast (travel), eignast (get, have a baby), komast (get somewhere). Some exist only with -st; see Verbs Only in -st.
Present tense forms. The -st replaces the usual endings. In the singular all three persons look alike:
- ég / þú / hún ferðast
- við ferðumst, þið ferðist, þau ferðast
Verbs whose stem changes in the singular keep that change: ég kemst, þú kemst, hún kemst, but við komumst; ég sest, but við setjumst.
Past tense. Add -st to the ordinary past: ferðaðist (travelled), settist (sat down), við hittumst (we met), þau eignuðust (they had, of a baby). The perfect is covered in Past and Perfect of -st Verbs.
Commands. Add -u: sestu (sit down), ferðastu (travel). See Commands.
Why it matters. Leaving off the -st changes or breaks the meaning. Við hittum needs an object (we meet someone), while við hittumst means we meet each other.
Examples (6)
- Sestu hérna.
Sit down here.
Word by Word: Sit-yourself here.
sestu is the command of setjast.
- Við hittumst á kaffihúsinu klukkan þrjú.
We'll meet at the café at three.
Word by Word: We meet-each-other at the-café the-clock three.
- Hún ferðast mikið vegna vinnunnar.
She travels a lot for work.
Word by Word: She travels much because-of the-work.
- Þau eignuðust dóttur í fyrra.
They had a daughter last year.
Word by Word: They acquired daughter in last-year.
- Við sjáumst!
See you!
Word by Word: We see-each-other!
- Ég settist við gluggann.
I sat down by the window.
Word by Word: I sat-myself by the-window.
Common Mistakes
Leaving off the -st of a verb that needs it.
Ég ferðaði til Spánar í sumar.Ég ferðaðist til Spánar í sumar.The verb is ferðast, so its past is ferðaðist. There is no ferðaði for travelling.
Using the plain verb when you mean "each other".
Við hittum á morgun.Við hittumst á morgun.hitta needs an object: Ég hitti hana. To say that people meet each other, use hittast.
Using setja (put) for sitting down.
Ég set niður.Ég sest niður.setja means to put something. Sitting down yourself is setjast: ég sest.
How It Connects
Learn This First
-st verbs build on present endings and mér finnst.
Related Patterns
- Each Other With -st
More on -st verbs that mean each other.
Level 3 - Verbs Only in -st
Verbs such as ferðast and óttast that exist only with -st.
Level 4 - Past and Perfect of -st Verbs
How -st verbs form the past and the perfect.
Level 4 - -st Verbs With a Passive Meaning
Some -st forms mean that something is seen, heard or found.
Level 4 - sig / sér / sínThe Reflexive Pronoun (Sig)
The reflexive pronoun, which some -st verbs replace: setjast is like setja sig.
Level 3 - komastGetting Somewhere (Komast)
A very common -st verb meaning to get somewhere.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Verbs Ending in -st in Bubblegum
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