Verbs Only in -st

Level 4

Ég óttast ekkert. (I'm not afraid of anything.) óttast has no form without -st.

How It Works

Verbs you learn with -st.

  • ferðast travel: Við ferðuðumst um Ísland í sumar.
  • óttast fear, be afraid of: Hún óttast myrkrið.
  • öðlast gain: Hann öðlaðist mikla reynslu.
  • þarfnast need, a formal word: Barnið þarfnast hvíldar.
  • heppnast succeed, turn out well: Veislan heppnaðist vel.

Several of them are related to a noun: ferð (trip), ótti (fear), þörf (need), heppni (luck).

Best learned on their own. nálgast (approach) and andast (pass away) do have forms without -st, but they are rare or mean something else: anda means breathe. Learn these -st verbs as words of their own: Veturinn nálgast (Winter is approaching). andast is formal; in everyday speech people say deyja (die).

Forms. They follow the -aði pattern with -st added (see -st past and perfect):

  • present: ég ferðast, þú ferðast, hún ferðast, við ferðumst, þið ferðist, þau ferðast
  • past: ég ferðaðist, við ferðuðumst, þau ferðuðust
  • perfect: ég hef ferðast, the same as the infinitive

Objects. Many -st verbs have no object, but these often do, each in its own case. óttast, öðlast and nálgast take the accusative: Skipið nálgaðist höfnina. þarfnast takes the genitive: þarfnast hvíldar.

Examples (6)

  1. Ég óttast ekkert.

    I'm not afraid of anything.

    Word by Word: I fear nothing.

  2. Við ferðuðumst um Ísland í sumar.

    We traveled around Iceland this summer.

    Word by Word: We traveled around Iceland in summer.

  3. Hún hefur ferðast til margra landa.

    She has traveled to many countries.

    Word by Word: She has traveled to many countries.

    The supine ferðast looks just like the infinitive.

  4. Hann öðlaðist mikla reynslu í starfinu.

    He gained a lot of experience in the job.

    Word by Word: He gained much experience in the-job.

  5. Veturinn nálgast.

    Winter is approaching.

    Word by Word: The-winter approaches.

  6. Barnið þarfnast hvíldar.

    The child needs rest.

    Word by Word: The-child needs rest's.

    þarfnast takes the genitive: hvíldar.

Common Mistakes

  • Dropping -st.

    Ég ferða mikið.
    Ég ferðast mikið.

    There is no verb ferða. The verb is ferðast in every form.

  • Giving the verb an active past.

    Við ferðuðum um Ísland í sumar.
    Við ferðuðumst um Ísland í sumar.

    The past keeps -st too: ferðaðist, ferðuðumst.

  • Using the wrong case after þarfnast.

    Hann þarfnast hjálp.
    Hann þarfnast hjálpar.

    þarfnast takes the genitive: hjálpar. In everyday speech, þurfa with the accusative is more common: Hann þarf hjálp.

How It Connects

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

Verbs Only in -stLevel 4

Learn This First

Verbs only in -st build on -st past and perfect.

Words in This Pattern

-stferðastóttastöðlastþarfnastnálgastandast