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.

Nefnifall og þolfall | Icelandic Grammar A1

Nefnifall og þolfall

A1 — Fallbeygingar

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

Nominative case (nefnifall) for subjects and accusative case (þolfall) for direct objects

Examples

Ég sé hundinn. — I see the dog.
Konan les bók. — The woman reads a book.
Barnið borðar epli. — The child eats an apple.

FallbeygingarA1

Nominative & Accusative Cases

Nominative case (nefnifall) for subjects and accusative case (þolfall) for direct objects

Learning Goal

Can distinguish nominative (subject) from accusative (direct object) case and apply correct noun endings

Exam Skills:VISC-A1

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!

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

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).

Ég sé hundinn.

I see the dog.

Hundur (nom.) → hund (acc.) + inn = hundinn. The verb 'sé' (see) takes accusative object.

Konan les bók.

The woman reads a book.

Konan = subject (nominative). Bók = object (accusative) — feminine nouns in -ók don't change in accusative.

Barnið borðar epli.

The child eats an apple.

Barnið = neuter nominative definite. Epli = neuter accusative — same as nominative (neuter never changes nom→acc).

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course

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Put it into practice

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Frequently 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.