Nominative & Accusative Cases
Nominative case (nefnifall) for subjects and accusative case (þolfall) for direct objects
Can distinguish nominative (subject) from accusative (direct object) case and apply correct noun endings
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Ég sé hundinn.
I see the dog.
Konan les bók.
The woman reads a book.
Barnið borðar epli.
The child eats an apple.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Íslenska hefur fjögur föll. Tvö fyrstu eru nefnifall og þolfall:
| Fall | Notkun | Spurn |
|---|---|---|
| Nefnifall (nominative) | Frumlag (subject) | Hver? / Hvað? |
| Þolfall (accusative) | Beint andlag (direct object) | Hvern? / Hvað? |
Karlkyns dæmi:
| Óákveðið | Ákveðið | |
|---|---|---|
| Nefnifall | hestur | hesturinn |
| Þolfall | hest | hestinn |
Kvenkyns dæmi:
| Óákveðið | Ákveðið | |
|---|---|---|
| Nefnifall | kona | konan |
| Þolfall | konu | konuna |
Hvorugkyns dæmi:
| Óákveðið | Ákveðið | |
|---|---|---|
| Nefnifall | barn | barnið |
| Þolfall | barn | barnið |
Athugið: Hvorugkyn breytist EKKI á milli nefnifalls og þolfalls!
Ég sé hundinn.
I see the dog.
Hundur (nom.) → hundinn (acc. definite).
Konan les bók.
The woman reads a book.
Konan = nominative subject. Bók = accusative object.
Barnið borðar epli.
The child eats an apple.
Neuter epli stays the same in nominative and accusative.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Put it into practice
Try a free exercise from the courseFrequently asked questions
- When is Nefnifall og þolfall used?
- Íslenska hefur fjögur föll . Tvö fyrstu eru nefnifall og þolfall:
- How is Nefnifall og þolfall formed?
- Athugið: Hvorugkyn breytist EKKI á milli nefnifalls og þolfalls!
- What are common mistakes with Nefnifall og þolfall?
- Using nominative for direct objects (*Ég sé hestur instead of Ég sé hest). Neuter nouns don't change — misleading learners into thinking no nouns change. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English has no case endings on nouns — this is entirely new. Only pronouns show case (he→him). 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian nominative/accusative works the same way — excellent transfer (кто?→кого?). 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech 1. pád/4. pád is identical concept — very easy transfer. 🇩🇪 German speakers: Nominativ/Akkusativ in German is the same system — easy transfer.