Sverrir Hólmarsson; Sanders, Christopher; Tucker, John / Íslensk-ensk orðabók (1989)
Declension and Comparison of Adjectives
Strong declension
sg | pl | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | f | n | m | f | n | |
nom | ríkur | rík | ríkt | ríkir | ríkar | rík |
acc | ríkan | ríka | ríkt | ríka | ríkar | rík |
dat | ríkum | ríkri | ríku | ríkum | ríkum | ríkum |
gen | ríks | ríkrar | ríks | ríkra | ríkra | ríkra |
nom | langur | löng | langt | langir | langar | löng |
acc | langan | langa | langt | langa | langar | löng |
dat | löngum | langri | löngu | löngum | löngum | löngum |
gen | langs | langrar | langs | langra | langra | langra |
nom | hár | há | hátt | háir | háar | há |
acc | háan | háa | hátt | háa | háar | há |
dat | háum | hárri | háu | háum | háum | háum |
gen | hás | hárrar | hás | hárra | hárra | hárra |
nom | fagur | fögur | fagurt | fagrir | fagrar | fögur |
acc | fagran | fagra | fagurt | fagra | fagrar | fögur |
dat | fögrum | fagurri | fögru | fögrum | fögrum | fögrum |
gen | fagurs | fagurrar | fagurs | fagurra | fagurra | fagurra |
Most adjectives are declined like ríkur and langur. Adjective stems lose the final -d or -ð of a consonant cluster in the n sg, nom + acc (e.g. blindur $$am blint, harður $$am hart).
If the stem ends with a vowel + ð, the -ð is assimilated with the -t (e.g. glaður $$am glatt), while a vowel + dd is assimilated as -tt (e.g. saddur $$am satt).
Adjectives containing the tense vowels -á/-jó/-ú are declined as hár, while those ending in -ur are declined like fagur (e.g. bitur, dapur, digur, lipur, magur, snotur, vitur).
sg | pl | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | f | n | m | f | n | |
nom | heill | heil | heilt | heilir | heilar | heil |
acc | heilan | heila | heilt | heila | heilar | heil |
dat | heilum | heilli | heilu | heilum | heilum | heilum |
gen | heils | heillar | heils | heilla | heilla | heilla |
nom | beinn | bein | beint | beinir | beinar | bein |
acc | beinan | beina | beint | beina | beinar | bein |
dat | beinum | beinni | beinu | beinum | beinum | beinum |
gen | beins | beinnar | beins | beinna | beinna | beinna |
Adjectives ending in -ll and -nn (apart from gamall, einsamall, lítill, mikill, and adjectives (esp.past participles) ending in -inn) are declined like heill and beinn.
sg | pl | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | f | n | m | f | n | |
nom | gamall | gömul | gamalt | gamlir | gamlar | gömul |
acc | gamlan | gamla | gamalt | gamla | gamlar | gömul |
dat | gömlum | gamalli | gömlu | gömlum | gömlum | gömlum |
gen | gamals | gamallar | gamals | gamalla | gamalla | gamalla |
nom | lítill | lítil | lítið | litlir | litlar | lítil |
acc | lítinn | litla | lítið | litla | litlar | lítil |
dat | litlum | lítilli | litlu | litlum | litlum | litlum |
gen | lítils | lítillar | lítils | lítilla | lítilla | lítilla |
einsamall is declined like gamall. mikill is declined like lítill, but without changes in the vowel.
nom | nýr | ný | nýtt | nýir | nýjar | ný |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
acc | nýjan | nýja | nýtt | nýja | nýjar | ný |
dat | nýjum | nýrri | nýju | nýjum | nýjum | nýjum |
gen | nýs | nýrrar | nýs | nýrra | nýrra | nýrra |
All adjectives with nom m sg ending in -ýr and -sær are declined like nýr, as is miður (f mið, n mitt) except that the nom m pl has the form miðjir.
sg | pl | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | f | n | m | f | n | |
nom | boginn | bogin | bogið | bognir | bognar | bogin |
acc | boginn | bogna | bogið | bogna | bognar | bogin |
dat | bognum | boginni | bognu | bognum | bognum | bognum |
gen | bogins | boginnar | bogins | boginna | boginna | boginna |
nom | barinn | barin | barið | barðir | barðar | barin |
acc | barinn | barða | barið | barða | barðar | barin |
dat | börðum | barinni | börðu | börðum | börðum | börðum |
gen | barins | barinnar | barins | barinna | barinna | barinna |
nom | talinn | talin | talið | taldir | taldar | talin |
acc | talinn | talda | talið | talda | taldar | talin |
dat | töldum | talinni | töldu | töldum | töldum | töldum |
gen | talins | talinnar | talins | talinna | talinna | talinna |
nom | þakinn | þakin | þakið | þaktir | þaktar | þakin |
acc | þakinn | þakta | þakið | þakta | þaktar | þakin |
dat | þöktum | þakinni | þöktu | þöktum | þöktum | þöktum |
gen | þakins | þakinnar | þakins | þakinna | þakinna | þakinna |
Adjectives ending in -inn and the past participles of the strong verbs are declined like boginn, while the past participles of weak verbs with the ending -inn are declined like barinn (those that have -ð- in the preterite), like talinn (those that have -d- in the preterite), and like þakinn (those that have -t- in the preterite).
Weak declension
The weak form of the nom m sg is obtained by dropping the -r of the strong form of the nom m pl, e.g. langir > langi.
[p. 40]sg | pl | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
m | f | n | ||
nom | langi | langa | langa | löngu |
acc | langa | löngu | langa | löngu |
dat | langa | löngu | langa | löngu |
gen | langa | löngu | langa | löngu |
Comparatives are always inflected as weak adjectives (e.g. langur: all cases in m sg and f sg lengri, n sg lengra, pl (m, f, n) in all cases lengri.
Comparison
pos | comp | superl |
---|---|---|
glaður | glaðari | glaðastur |
ríkur | ríkari | ríkastur |
heiðinn | heiðnari | heiðnastur |
kraminn | kramdari | kramdastur |
dapur | daprari | daprastur |
The vast majority of adjectives form their comparatives and superlatives in this way.
pos | comp | superl |
---|---|---|
skemmtilegur | skemmtilegri | skemmtilegastur |
sljór | sljórri | sljóastur |
nýr | nýrri | nýjastur |
heill | heilli | heilastur |
hreinn | hreinni | hreinastur |
The comparative -r is assimilated and disappears in adjectives whose nom m sg ends in -ll or -nn such as heill. Adjectives ending in -legur/-ugur, -ull, and -á-, -é-, -í-, -ú-, -ý-, -æ-, -ei-, followed by -ll/-nn form their comparatives and superlatives as above.
pos | comp | superl |
---|---|---|
langur | lengri | lengstur |
hár | hærri | hæstur |
stór | stærri | stærstur |
ungur | yngri | yngstur |
dökkur | dekkri | dekkstur |
Only a handful of adjectives form their comparatives and superlatives in this way.
A few comparatives and superlatives are derived from a separate stem:
pos | comp | superl |
---|---|---|
gamall | eldri | elstur |
góður | betri | bestur |
lítill | minni | minnstur |
margur | fleiri | flestur |
mikill | meiri | mestur |
illur | verri | verstur |