What are common mistakes with Vera (að vera) — nútíð?

Mixing up ert (2sg) with er (1sg/3sg) and eru (3pl). Forgetting eruð for plural 'you'. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English 'am/is/are' is simpler — only 3 forms vs 4 in Icelandic. Watch eruð (you plural). 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian omits 'to be' in present tense — must remember to always include the verb in Icelandic. 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech jsem/jsi/je/jsme/jste/jsou maps closely — good transfer. 4 forms vs 6. 🇩🇪 German speakers: bin/bist/ist/sind/seid/sind → 6 forms maps to 4 Icelandic forms. Good basis.

Vera (að vera) — nútíð

A1 — Sagnir

The verb 'to be' (vera) in present tense — er, ert, erum, eruð, eru

Can conjugate vera (to be) in present tense for all persons

Examples

Ég er nemandi. — I am a student.
Þú ert mjög góður. — You are very good.
Þau eru hér. — They (mixed) are here.

SagnirA1

Vera (to be) — Present Tense

The verb 'to be' (vera) in present tense — er, ert, erum, eruð, eru

Learning Goal

Can conjugate vera (to be) in present tense for all persons

Exam Skills:VISC-A1

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Ég er nemandi.

I am a student.

Þú ert mjög góður.

You are very good.

Þau eru hér.

They (mixed) are here.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

Sagnorðið vera (to be) er mikilvægasta sagnorðið í íslensku. Nútíðarmyndir:

Persóna	Eintala	Fleirtala
1. p.	ég er	við erum
2. p.	þú ert	þið eruð
3. p.	hann/hún/það er	þeir/þær/þau eru

Notkun:

Þjóðerni: Ég er íslenskur/íslensk. (I am Icelandic.)
Staðsetning: Við erum á Íslandi. (We are in Iceland.)
Lýsing: Húsið er stórt. (The house is big.)
Aldur: Ég er tuttugu ára. (I am twenty years old.)

Athugið: 1. og 3. persóna eintölu deila sömu mynd: er.

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Mixing up ert (2sg) with er (1sg/3sg) and eru (3pl). Forgetting eruð for plural 'you'. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English 'am/is/are' is simpler — only 3 forms vs 4 in Icelandic. Watch eruð (you plural).

Ég er nemandi.

I am a student.

Ég er = I am. No article before professions in Icelandic (like Czech and Russian).

Þú ert mjög góður.

You are very good.

Ert is the 2nd person singular form. Mjög = very. Góður agrees with masculine subject.

Þau eru hér.

They (mixed) are here.

Þau = they (mixed gender). Eru = are (3rd plural). Hér = here.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course

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Put it into practice

Try a free exercise from the course

1. Getting Acquainted

Frequently asked questions

When is Vera (að vera) — nútíð used?: Sagnorðið vera (to be) er mikilvægasta sagnorðið í íslensku. Nútíðarmyndir:
What are common mistakes with Vera (að vera) — nútíð?: Mixing up ert (2sg) with er (1sg/3sg) and eru (3pl). Forgetting eruð for plural 'you'. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English 'am/is/are' is simpler — only 3 forms vs 4 in Icelandic. Watch eruð (you plural). 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian omits 'to be' in present tense — must remember to always include the verb in Icelandic. 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech jsem/jsi/je/jsme/jste/jsou maps closely — good transfer. 4 forms vs 6. 🇩🇪 German speakers: bin/bist/ist/sind/seid/sind → 6 forms maps to 4 Icelandic forms. Good basis.