Verbs With Particles
taka means take, but taka til means tidy up. A verb and its particle make a new expression: Hringdu í mig á morgun (Call me tomorrow).
How It Works
Useful particle verbs.
- taka til (tidy up): Ég þarf að taka til í herberginu mínu.
- halda áfram (continue, keep going): Haltu áfram!
- gefast upp (give up): Ekki gefast upp!
- kveikja á + dative (turn on): Kveiktu á ljósinu.
- slökkva á + dative (turn off): Slökktu á sjónvarpinu.
- hringja í + accusative (call): Hringdu í mig.
- fara í + accusative (put on clothes) and fara úr + dative (take off): Farðu í úlpuna. Farðu úr skónum.
- taka eftir + dative (notice): Ég tók ekki eftir því.
Only the verb changes. The verb takes its normal endings and the particle stays the same: Ég tók til í gær. Þau héldu áfram. In gefast upp the verb is an -st verb: Ég gafst upp. Negative commands use ekki + infinitive: Ekki gefast upp!
Where the particle goes. A short pronoun usually comes before an adverb particle: Hann tók hana upp (He picked it up). A full noun can come before or after it: Hann tók upp bókina or Hann tók bókina upp. See where the particle goes for more.
Many particle verbs also give nouns, like tiltekt (tidying) from taka til (see particle verbs and their nouns). For verbs whose preposition simply links an object, such as bíða eftir, see verbs with fixed prepositions.
Examples (6)
- Hringdu í mig á morgun.
Call me tomorrow.
Word by Word: Ring-you in me on morning.
- Ég þarf að taka til í herberginu mínu.
I need to tidy my room.
Word by Word: I need to take to in the-room my.
- Kveiktu á ljósinu.
Turn on the light.
Word by Word: Kindle-you on the-light.
kveikja á takes the dative: ljósinu.
- Ekki gefast upp!
Don't give up!
Word by Word: Not give-oneself up!
- Við héldum áfram að labba.
We kept walking.
Word by Word: We held forward to walk.
- Slökktu á sjónvarpinu og farðu að sofa.
Turn off the TV and go to bed.
Word by Word: Quench-you on the-television and go-you to sleep.
Common Mistakes
Leaving out í when you call someone.
Ég hringdi hana í gær.Ég hringdi í hana í gær.To call someone on the phone, use hringja í + accusative. Without í, hringja means to ring.
Using gefa upp when you mean "give up".
Ég gaf upp.Ég gafst upp."Give up" is the -st verb gefast upp. gefa upp means to state or reveal something, like a name, and needs an object.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Particle verbs build on fixed prepositions.
Related Patterns
- Where the Particle Goes
Where the particle goes when there is also an object.
Level 4 - Particle Verbs and Their Nouns
Nouns built from particle verbs, like tiltekt from taka til.
Level 5 - Verbs Ending in -st
gefast upp is built on an -st verb.
Level 2 - ekki + InfinitiveDon't! (Ekki + Infinitive)
Negative commands with particle verbs: Ekki gefast upp!
Level 2 - Commands (komdu, farðu)
Commands like kveiktu, slökktu and hringdu keep the particle after the verb.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Verbs With Particles in Bubblegum
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