Where the Particle Goes

Level 4

Taktu hann upp. (Pick it up.) Taktu upp símann. or Taktu símann upp. (Pick up the phone.)

How It Works

Adverb particles. These words often show a direction: upp (up), niður (down), út (out), inn (in), af (off), burt (away), saman (together), aftur (back).

  • Pronoun first: Skrifaðu það niður. (Write it down.)
  • Noun, two orders: Skrifaðu niður nafnið. / Skrifaðu nafnið niður. (Write down the name.)
  • Hentu ruslinu út. / Hentu út ruslinu. (Throw the rubbish out.)

With a long noun phrase, the particle usually comes first: Taktu upp allt dótið sem liggur á gólfinu. (Pick up all the stuff that is lying on the floor.)

Pronouns stand for nouns. In Taktu hann upp, hann means it, because it refers to a masculine noun such as síminn (see object pronouns).

Preposition particles. In verbs like hringja í (call), kveikja á (turn on), slökkva á (turn off), taka eftir (notice) and fara úr (take off clothes), the particle is a preposition. It always comes before its object, noun or pronoun, and decides its case:

  • Hringdu í mig. (Call me.)
  • Kveiktu á ljósinu. / Kveiktu á því. (Turn on the light. / Turn it on.)

With more than one verb. The same rules apply after the last verb: Ég er búin að skrifa það niður. (I have written it down.)

To learn the verbs themselves, see particle verbs and verbs with fixed prepositions.

Examples (5)

  1. Taktu hann upp.

    Pick it up.

    Word by Word: Take it up.

    hann refers to a masculine noun such as síminn, so it means it here. The pronoun comes before upp.

  2. Taktu upp símann.

    Pick up the phone.

    Word by Word: Take up the phone.

  3. Taktu símann upp.

    Pick up the phone.

    Word by Word: Take the phone up.

    With a noun object, both orders are correct.

  4. Skrifaðu það niður.

    Write it down.

    Word by Word: Write it down.

  5. Kveiktu á því.

    Turn it on.

    Word by Word: Light on it (dative).

    á is a preposition, so it comes before the pronoun and puts it in the dative.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting a pronoun after an adverb particle.

    Taktu upp hann.
    Taktu hann upp.

    A short, unstressed pronoun comes before an adverb particle like upp. Only a noun can come after it: Taktu upp símann.

  • Moving a preposition particle after its object.

    Hringdu mig í.
    Hringdu í mig.

    í in hringja í is a preposition. A preposition always comes before its object, even a pronoun.

How It Connects

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

Where the Particle GoesLevel 4

Learn This First

Particle placement builds on particle verbs and object shift.

Words in This Pattern

hringja íuppniðurút