Bókastaðir

be, exist; (as copula) be; (with supine) auxiliary of the perfect for verbs of motion and change

Engi var hann verklundarmaðr.

He was no man of industrious character.

Bandamanna saga, ch. 1

anomalous vera · er (older es) · var · váru · verit (supine) Modern Icelandic vera (er, var, verið)

Idioms and usage

• vera + pp. of a motion verb perfect of verbs of motion/change — the participle agrees with the subject, and vera here is 'has', not 'is' hann er kominn til þings he has come to the assembly (not 'he is arrived/present')
• vera + pp. (farinn) same perfect with fara — 'has gone', shading into the adjectival 'is gone, is away' þeir váru farnir brott they had gone away
• vera at + inf. be engaged in doing, be in the middle of — the nearest thing to a progressive, and much rarer than the English one hann var at smíða he was busy forging
• er (relative particle, not the verb) 'who, which, when' — in prose er is more often the relativizer than 3sg 'is' (older es) sá maðr er hér býr the man who lives here
• vera + pp. (transitive verb) passive, with the participle declined as a strong adjective hann var veginn he was slain
• vera til exist, be in existence — not 'be to' or 'belong to' þat er eigi til there is no such thing
• vera someone (dat.) at liði be of help to someone — dat. of the person, at + dat. of the abstract noun hann var mér at liði he was of help to me

English cognate

be, been

have, hold, possess; keep; (as auxiliary) have (forming the perfect with the supine)

hafask keep or hold oneself, stay, behave; hafask at 'be occupied with, be up to (something)'; hafask við 'stay, dwell, hold out'

Hafði hann kaup ǫll.

He had all the trade to himself.

Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar, ch. 17

weak class 3 hafa · hefir · hafði · hǫfðu · hafðr / haft Modern Icelandic hafa (hefur, hafði, haft)

Idioms and usage

• hafa + supine perfect of transitives and most intransitives; the supine is the fixed neuter form, not a declined participle hann hefir sagt mér he has told me
• hafa something (acc.) at engu make nothing of, disregard, set at naught (at + dat. engu) hann hafði þat at engu he paid no heed to it
• hafa someone (acc.) at something (dat.) treat someone as, make someone into (at + dat. of what he is made) þeir hǫfðu hann at spotti they made a mockery of him
• hafa something (acc.) af someone (dat.) get something out of someone, obtain from someone — not 'have off' hann hafði fé af honum he got money out of him
• hafa something (acc.) eptir someone (dat.) repeat after someone, quote someone — not 'have something left after him' hann hafði þat eptir Njáli he had that from Njáll (quoted Njáll's words)
• hafask at be occupied with, be up to — the everyday saga phrase for 'be doing' hvat hefsk þú at? what are you up to?
• hafask við stay, dwell, hold out (of a place of abode) þeir hǫfðusk við í skóginum they stayed in the forest
• hafa við be able to cope, keep up (absolute, no object) hann hafði eigi við he could not keep up

English cognate

have

say, tell; relate, report; declare (formally, in legal contexts)

segjask say of oneself, declare oneself to be/have done (usually + infinitive: hann sagðisk mundu fara 'he said he would go'); impersonal segisk / er sagt 'it is said, the story says'

Sannr víst, segir Oddr.

"Guilty, certainly," says Oddr.

Bandamanna saga, ch. 5

weak class 3 segja · segir · sagði · sǫgðu · sagðr / sagt Modern Icelandic segja (segir, sagði, sagt)

Idioms and usage

• segja someone (dat.) something (acc.) tell someone something — dat. of the hearer, acc. of the thing told hann sagði konungi tíðendi he told the king the news
• segjask + inf. say of oneself that one will/does — the -sk marks the subject of the infinitive as the speaker himself hann sagðisk mundu fara he said he would go
• segja upp lǫg recite the law publicly (the lawspeaker's duty at the Alþingi) — not 'give up' or 'renounce' hann sagði upp lǫgin he recited the law
• segja fyrir foretell; also give directions, prescribe — not 'say beforehand' in the neutral sense hann sagði fyrir um ferðina he gave directions about the journey
• segja skilit við someone (acc.) declare oneself divorced from someone — a formal legal act, said before witnesses hon sagði skilit við hann she declared herself divorced from him
• segja af sér resign an office, lay it down hann sagði af sér he resigned his office
• segja frá something (dat.) tell about something, relate — frá + dat., where plain acc. would be the words said hann sagði frá ferðum sínum he told of his travels

English cognate

say

will, shall; be likely to, must (of inference); (in the past) would, was going to

Bardaga verra mun þat.

That will be worse than a battle.

Víga-Glúms saga, ch. 2

preterite-present munu · mun · mundi · mundu · — (no past participle in use) Modern Icelandic munu (mun, myndi / mundi, — )

Idioms and usage

• mun vera must be, is doubtless — inference about the present, not the future þat mun satt vera that must be true
• mun + inf. will, is going to — prediction, the ordinary substitute for a future tense hann mun koma á morgin he will come tomorrow
• mundi + inf. (reported speech) future-in-the-past: 'would' as a statement about what was going to happen, not a conditional hann sagði at hann mundi koma he said he would come
• munda + hafa + pp. counterfactual apodosis — 'would have', the genuine conditional 'would' ek munda hafa farit I would have gone
• mun + goal (inf. omitted) with verbs of motion the infinitive is left out when the goal is expressed hann mun til Nóregs he will go to Norway
• muni (pres. subj.) + inf. may, might — the subjunctive weakens the prediction to a possibility eigi veit ek hvat muni verða I do not know what may happen

English cognate

mind

go, travel, journey; move, proceed; (with adverbs and prepositions) get on, turn out

farask (of a person) perish, be lost, come to nothing — esp. past fórsk 'perished'; farask something (acc.) 'fail at, come off badly in something'; impersonal ferr someone (dat.) vel/illa 'things go well/badly for someone', also 'someone behaves well/badly'; farask hjá 'pass each other by'

Váli ferr með honum.

Váli goes with him.

Bandamanna saga, ch. 3

strong class VI fara · ferr · fór · fóru · farinn Modern Icelandic fara (fer, fór, farið)

Idioms and usage

• fara at someone (dat.) attack, proceed against someone (dat.) — not 'go to someone' þeir fóru at honum they attacked him
• fara at + inf. begin to — inceptive, not purposive 'go in order to' þeir fóru at berjask they began to fight
• fara með something (acc.) handle, carry, be in charge of, deal in (acc.) — not 'go with' hann fór með mál þeira he conducted their case
• farask (esp. past fórsk / fórusk) perish, be lost, be killed — lexicalized, not a reflexive 'went himself' þar fórusk margir menn many men perished there
• someone (dat.) ferr vel / fersk illa (impersonal) things go well/badly for someone (dat.); equally often 'someone behaves well/badly' honum fórsk illa he behaved badly (or: it went badly for him)
• fara halloka (fyrir someone (dat.)) get the worst of it, be worsted (before someone, dat.) þeir fóru halloka fyrir honum they got the worst of it against him
• fara eptir something (dat.) follow, accord with; of events, turn out according to something þat fór eptir orðum hans it turned out as he had said
• fara someone/something (gen.) á leit seek something, make a request for something — gen. of the thing sought hann fór þess á leit he made that request

English cognate

fare

come, arrive; (with dat.) bring, get (something) somewhere

komask get (oneself) somewhere, manage to get, make one's way; komask undan 'escape'; komask á 'come about, be established'; komask at something (dat.) 'get at, obtain, find out'; komask við 'be moved, be affected; be able'; komask upp 'come to light'

Þau kómu í Reyðarfjǫrð.

They arrived in Reyðarfjörður.

Droplaugarsona saga, ch. 15

strong class IV koma · kømr (kemr) · kom · kómu · kominn Modern Icelandic koma (kemur, kom, komið)

Idioms and usage

• koma something (dat.) til leiðar bring something about — dat. object makes koma causative, 'get something somewhere' hann kom því til leiðar he brought it about
• komask undan escape, get away — komask adds effort and success to koma hann komsk undan he got away
• someone (dat.) kømr something (acc.) í hug something occurs to someone — impersonal, with the experiencer in the dative þá kom honum í hug then it came into his mind
• koma við something (acc.) / someone (acc.) touch, affect, concern; of a ship, touch at (land) — not 'come with' þat mál kømr við hann that case concerns him
• koma at someone (dat.) come upon someone, surprise someone (dat.) þeir kómu at þeim óvǫrum they came upon them unawares
• komask at something (dat.) get at, obtain, find out something (dat.) þeir kómusk at því they found that out
• kominn af someone (dat.) descended from someone — the participle used adjectivally, not 'come away from' hann er kominn af jǫrlum he is descended from earls
• komask við be moved, be affected; also be able, manage hann komsk mjǫk við he was much moved

English cognate

come

speak, say, utter; (in legal contexts) plead, stipulate

mælask (reciprocal) mælask við 'speak with one another, converse'; mælask fyrir 'recite, pronounce (a formula or prayer)'; mælask vel/illa fyrir 'be well/ill received, be well/ill spoken of'; mælask undan something (dat.) 'excuse oneself from something'

Helgi mælti við Þorkel:

Helgi said to Þorkell:

Droplaugarsona saga, ch. 9

weak class 1 mæla · mælir · mælti · mæltu · mæltr / mælt Modern Icelandic mæla (mælir, mælti, mælt) — but in modern Icelandic the primary sense is 'measure'; for 'speak' it survives mainly in mæla með / mæla gegn 'recommend / oppose', mæla fyrir um 'prescribe', and elevated style, tala and segja having taken over the everyday senses.

Idioms and usage

• mælti (speech tag) 'said', introducing direct speech — past of mæla 'speak'; mældi with -d- is 'measured', a different verb þá mælti Gunnarr then Gunnarr said
• mæla fyrir munn someone (dat.) be someone's spokesman, speak on his behalf (dat.) — not 'speak in front of his mouth' hann mælti fyrir munn þeim he spoke on their behalf
• mæla um pronounce a formula over something, utter a spell or curse — stronger than 'speak about' hann mælti svá um he laid down this spell
• mæla mælt mál speak plain, ordinary language — mælt mál is the set phrase for everyday speech hann mælti mælt mál he spoke plain language
• mæla fyrir something (dat.) prescribe, direct, stipulate (dat.) — the legal sense sem lǫg mæla fyrir as the law prescribes
• mælask við converse, talk with one another — reciprocal -sk, not 'speak against' þeir mæltusk við they talked together
• mælask vel fyrir be well received, be well spoken of (of a speech or deed) þat mæltisk vel fyrir that was well received

shall, must, be obliged to; be destined or appointed to; (in reported speech) be said to, be to

Hvat skaltu nú, bróðir?

What are you up to now, brother?

Kormáks saga, ch. 8

preterite-present skulu · skal · skyldi · skyldu · — (no past participle in use) Modern Icelandic skulu (skal, skyldi, — )

Idioms and usage

• skal + inf. is to, must — obligation or arrangement imposed from outside, not a prediction (that is munu) þú skalt fara you are to go
• skal vera is said to be, is reputed to be — reported or rumoured claim hann skal vera vitr maðr he is said to be a wise man
• skyldi + inf. (reported speech) was to, should — the past of an obligation or arrangement, carried into indirect speech hann sagði at hann skyldi koma he said he was to come
• svá at ... skyldi + inf. purpose or intended result clause: 'so that he should ...' svá at hann skyldi eigi komask undan so that he should not escape
• skal + goal (inf. omitted) with verbs of motion the infinitive is left out when the goal is expressed hann skal til Nóregs he is to go to Norway
• skal (in legal enactment) 'shall' of statute — what the law lays down, with the predicate adjective in the nominative hann skal sekr vera he shall be an outlaw

English cognate

shall, should

want, wish, be willing; intend; (with dat. of person) wish someone well or ill

Jǫkull vill þat eigi.

Jǫkull does not want that.

Finnboga saga ramma, ch. 37

anomalous (preterite-present type) vilja · vill · vildi · vildu · — (no personal participle; rare supine viljat) Modern Icelandic vilja (vill, vildi, viljað)

Idioms and usage

• vilja + inf. want to, be willing to — real volition, never a bare future ('he will come' is hann mun koma) vil ek fara með þér I want to go with you
• vilja someone (dat.) vel / illa wish someone well / ill, be well or ill disposed towards someone — dat. of the person hann vill þér vel he means well by you
• vilja til come to pass, happen — impersonal, with no sense of wanting at all svá vildi til so it came about
• vildi + inf. wanted to, was willing to — not the counterfactual 'would', which is mundi hann vildi eigi fara he did not want to go
• vilja at + subj. want that someone should do something — a subjunctive clause where English has an infinitive ek vil at þú farir I want you to go
• vilja + goal (inf. omitted) with verbs of motion the infinitive is left out when the goal is expressed hann vill heim he wants to go home

English cognate

will

take, seize, grasp; receive; (with at + inf.) begin to

takask come about, take place, succeed (tóksk bardagi 'a battle came about'); takask á hendr 'undertake, take upon oneself'; takask í hendr 'shake hands, strike a bargain'; impersonal someone (dat.) teksk vel 'someone succeeds, it turns out well for someone'; takask við 'grapple with one another'

Þorkell tók til orða:

Þorkell began to speak:

Droplaugarsona saga, ch. 14

strong class VI taka · tekr · tók · tóku · tekinn Modern Icelandic taka (tekur, tók, tekið)

Idioms and usage

• taka til orða begin to speak, take up the word (gen. pl. orða) hann tók til orða he began to speak
• taka við something (dat.) receive, take over, take charge of (dat.) — distinct from plain acc. taka 'seize' hann tók við ríki he succeeded to the kingdom
• taka til at + inf. (also taka at + inf.) begin to — inceptive, often no more than a scene-shift; not 'took to doing' þá tók at rigna then it began to rain
• taka someone (acc.) af lífi put someone to death, execute someone — literally 'take him from life' þeir tóku hann af lífi they put him to death
• takask come about, take place, succeed — lexicalized, not a reflexive of 'take' tóksk þar bardagi mikill a great battle broke out there
• someone (dat.) teksk vel someone succeeds, it turns out well for someone — impersonal, dat. of the person honum tóksk vel he succeeded
• taka someone (acc.) hǫndum take someone prisoner — instrumental dat. pl. hǫndum, 'with the hands' þeir tóku hann hǫndum they took him prisoner
• taka til someone/something (gen.) take hold of, resort to, begin on (gen.) hann tók til vápna he resorted to arms

English cognate

take

walk, go

gangask við 'acknowledge, own up to (esp. the paternity of a child)'; gangask at 'close with one another, come to grips (in battle)'; (of things, impersonal) something (acc.) gengsk 'something shifts, goes on, comes about'

Síðan gekk Þórolfr á brott.

Then Þórolfr went away.

Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar, ch. 16

strong class VII ganga · gengr · gekk · gengu · genginn Modern Icelandic ganga (gengur, gekk, gengið)

Idioms and usage

• ganga at someone (dat.) attack someone, go for someone (dat.) — not merely 'walk up to' þeir gengu at honum they attacked him
• ganga á hǫnd someone (dat.) submit to someone, become someone's man (dat. of the lord) hann gekk á hǫnd konungi he submitted to the king
• ganga eptir come true, be fulfilled (of a dream, prophecy or word) draumrinn gekk eptir the dream came true
• ganga í berhǫgg við someone (acc.) come to open blows with someone, oppose someone openly gekk hann í berhǫgg við frændr sína he came out openly against his kinsmen
• ganga á something (acc.) break, violate (an oath, a settlement) — acc. hann gekk á eiða sína he broke his oaths
• ganga við something (dat.) acknowledge, own up to something (dat.), esp. paternity hann gekk við barninu he acknowledged the child as his
• ganga fram advance, press forward (in battle or in a case) þeir gengu hart fram they pressed forward hard
• ganga með barni be pregnant, be with child hon gekk með barni she was with child

English cognate

gang

do, make

gerask happen, come to pass, come about; become (+ nom. predicate: gerask konungr 'become king'); be done or made

Nú gera þeir svá.

Now they do so.

Bandamanna saga, ch. 4

weak class 1 gera · gerir · gerði · gerðu · gerr / gǫrr Modern Icelandic gera (gerir, gerði, gert)

Idioms and usage

• gera at something (dat.) attend to, repair, do something about something (dat.) — not 'do at' hann gerði at sárum þeira he dressed their wounds
• something (acc.) gerisk / gerðisk something happens, comes about — the ordinary narrative 'it came to pass' þat gerðisk um sumarit that happened during the summer
• gerask + nom. predicate become something; the predicate stands in the nominative hann gerðisk konungr he became king
• gera someone (dat.) kost (tvá kostu) offer someone terms, give someone a choice (dat. of person, acc. of the choice) hann gerði þeim tvá kostu he gave them two choices
• gera um mál arbitrate, make the award in a case (legal) hann gerði einn um málit he alone made the award in the case
• gera someone (dat.) orð send word to someone (dat. of person) hann gerði konungi orð he sent word to the king
• gera someone (acc.) at something (dat.) make someone into something; the resulting rank stands in the dative after at þeir gerðu hann at konungi they made him king
• gera út skip fit out, equip a ship (whence the modern útgerð 'fishing operation') hann gerði út skip til Englands he fitted out a ship for England

English cognate

yare

say, recite (verse)

kveðask say of oneself, declare that one …; with a following infinitive this is the ordinary saga formula for indirect speech — hann kvazk mundu fara 'he said he would go', hon kvezk eigi vita 'she says she does not know'. Also kveðask við 'answer, retort'.

Ok enn kvað hann

And again he recited (this verse).

Bandamanna saga, ch. 8

strong class V kveða · kveðr · kvað · kváðu · kveðinn Modern Icelandic kveða (kveður, kvað, kveðið)

Idioms and usage

• kveðask + inf. say of oneself that one …; the standard saga frame for reported speech, not a passive hann kvazk mundu fara he said he would go
• kveða at (orði) pronounce, articulate, put it in words hann kvað fast at orði he spoke firmly (lit. pronounced it hard)
• kveða upp dóm pronounce a judgment (legal formula) þeir kváðu upp dóminn they pronounced the judgment
• kveða á something (acc.) stipulate, appoint, fix (a day, a term) þeir kváðu á dag they appointed a day
• kveða vísu recite or compose a verse (acc.) — the verb for poetry, not for reading þá kvað hann vísu þessa then he recited this verse
• kveða við resound, ring out (of a noise, impersonal) kvað við hátt there was a loud ringing sound

English cognate

quoth

become, happen, come to pass; (with inf.) have to, must

Varð þar mannfall mikit.

There was a great slaughter there.

Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar, ch. 47

strong class III verða · verðr · varð · urðu · orðinn Modern Icelandic verða (verður, varð, orðið)

Idioms and usage

• verða (at) + inf. must, have to — obligation from circumstance, as against skulu 'shall' by someone's will þú verðr at fara you have to go
• someone (dat.) verðr bilt someone is taken aback, startled (impersonal, dat. of the person, neuter adj.) honum varð bilt við he was taken aback
• verða at something (dat.) turn into something (dat.) — not 'become at' hann varð at steini he turned into stone
• verða fyrir something (dat.) meet with, be struck by, suffer something (dat.) hann varð fyrir hǫggvi he took a blow
• verða someone (dat.) at bana be the death of someone (dat. of person, at + dat. of the outcome) þat varð honum at bana that was the death of him
• someone (dat.) verðr litit (til someone/something (gen.)) someone happens to glance (impersonal, dat. of the person, neuter pp.) honum varð litit til dyra he happened to glance toward the door
• verða við something (dat.) comply with, grant something (dat.) hann varð við bœn hans he granted his request
• verða af something (dat.) come of something, result from something (dat.); often negated 'come to nothing' ekki varð af ferðinni nothing came of the journey

English cognate

worth

seem, be thought; (with dat.) think, consider — i.e. it seems to someone

þykkjask think oneself, consider oneself, believe (that one is/does …); with inf. or a nom. predicate — hann þóttisk sjá 'he thought he saw', þeir þóttusk vissir 'they reckoned themselves sure'

Þat þótti þeim undarligt.

That seemed strange to them.

Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar, ch. 64

weak class 1 þykkja · þykkir · þótti · þóttu · þóttr / þótt Modern Icelandic þykja (þykir, þótti, þótt)

Idioms and usage

• someone (dat.) þykkir something (acc.) something seems to someone, someone thinks something — experiencer in the dative, the thing in the nominative mér þykkir hann vitr I think him wise (lit. 'to me he seems wise')
• þykkjask + inf. think oneself, believe that one does/is — the personal counterpart of the impersonal hann þóttisk sjá mann he thought he saw a man
• someone (dat.) þykkir mikit fyrir (something (dat.)) someone finds something hard, is reluctant to do it honum þótti mikit fyrir he found it hard going
• þykkja + nom. predicate be thought, be reckoned (by others) — passive in sense though active in form hann þótti mikill maðr he was reckoned a great man
• someone (dat.) þykkir vel/illa við someone (acc.) someone is well or ill disposed toward someone konungi þótti illa við hann the king was ill disposed toward him
• someone (dat.) þykkir ráð at + inf. someone thinks it advisable to do something þykkir mér ráð at fara heim I think it best to go home

English cognate

methinks

own, have; be married to; (with inf.) be obliged to, have to

eigask við 'contend with one another, have dealings with each other' (the standard phrase for a quarrel or fight between two parties); of a couple, þau áttusk 'they were married to each other'

Áttu eigi dœtr nokkurar?

Do you not have some daughters?

Bandamanna saga, ch. 9

preterite-present eiga · á · átti · áttu · áttr / átt Modern Icelandic eiga (á, átti, átt)

Idioms and usage

• eiga + inf. be obliged to, be due to — the sense that gave English 'ought' hann á at fara til þings he is to go to the assembly
• eiga konu (acc.) be married to a woman — not 'own' her; of a wife likewise hon átti hann hann átti Guðrúnu he was married to Guðrún
• eiga við someone (acc.) have dealings with someone, contend with someone illt er við hann at eiga he is a bad man to deal with
• eigask við contend with one another, come to grips (reciprocal, normally plural) þeir áttusk við lengi they fought each other for a long time
• eiga barn við a woman (dat.) have a child by a woman (dat. after við) hann átti barn við henni he had a child by her
• eiga hlut í something (dat.) have a part in something, be involved in a matter hann átti hlut í málinu he had a hand in the case
• eiga sǫk við someone (acc.) have a suit against someone, have a legal claim on someone hann á sǫk við þá he has a case against them

English cognate

owe

ride

Síðan reið Hrafnkell heim.

Afterwards Hrafnkell rode home.

Droplaugarsona saga, ch. 4

strong class I ríða · ríðr · reið · riðu · riðinn Modern Icelandic ríða (ríður, reið, riðið)

Idioms and usage

• ríða hesti ride a horse — the mount is in the dative, never the accusative hann reið góðum hesti he rode a good horse
• ríða at someone (dat.) ride at someone, charge someone (dat.) — hostile, not 'ride up to' þeir riðu at honum they charged at him
• ríða til þings ride to the assembly — the stock phrase for attending the Thing (gen. after til) hann reið til þings með flokk sinn he rode to the assembly with his band
• something (acc.) ríðr á something is at stake, something matters (impersonal; whence áríðandi 'important') mikit ríðr á much is at stake
• ríðask at charge one another, ride at each other (reciprocal, plural) þeir riðusk at they rode at each other
• ríða leið sína ride on one's way — here the accusative is the route, not the mount reið hann leið sína he rode on his way

English cognate

ride

let, allow; leave, leave behind; lose; behave; say, utter

látask (1) die — the standard saga euphemism, 'he lost his life' (hann lézk í þeiri ferð); (2) declare oneself, profess, pretend, with a following infinitive — hann lézk mundu koma 'he said he would come'

Hallfreðr lét í haf.

Hallfreðr put out to sea.

Hallfreðar saga vandræðaskálds, ch. 9

strong class VII láta · lætr · lét · létu · látinn Modern Icelandic láta (lætur, lét, látið)

Idioms and usage

• láta someone (acc.) gera something (acc.) (acc. + inf.) have someone do something, cause something to be done — a full causative, not permissive 'let' hann lét drepa þrælinn he had the slave killed (not 'he let the slave kill')
• látask die — the standard saga euphemism, with a place or time adverbial hann lézk í þeiri ferð he died on that journey
• látask + inf. declare of oneself, claim, profess — same form as 'die', told apart by the following infinitive hann lézk mundu koma he said he would come
• láta illa (yfir something (dat.)) behave badly, make a fuss; speak ill of something (dat. after yfir) hann lét illa yfir ferðinni he grumbled about the journey
• láta something (acc.) eptir someone (dat.) let someone have his way in something, give in to someone (dat. of person) hann lét eptir syni sínum he gave in to his son
• láta something (acc.) laust let something go, give something up, release it (acc. + predicative adj.) hann lét féit laust he gave up the money
• láta líf sitt lose one's life — láta here is 'lose', not 'let' þar lét hann líf sitt there he lost his life
• láta sem + subj. act as if, pretend that hann lét sem hann sæi ekki he acted as if he saw nothing

English cognate

let

be called, be named; call, name; promise (with dat. of person and dat. of thing)

heitask vow, pledge oneself (heitask at gera something (acc.) 'vow to do something'); heitask við someone (acc.) 'threaten someone'; heitask á someone (acc.) 'call upon, invoke someone (a god or saint) with a vow'

Óspakr hét sonr þeirra.

Their son was named Óspakr.

Bandamanna saga, ch. 2

strong class VII heita · heitir · hét · hétu · heitinn Modern Icelandic heita (heitir, hét, heitið)

Idioms and usage

• someone (nom.) heitir + nom. someone is called/named — active in form but passive in sense; never use an -sk form for this hann heitir Bjǫrn his name is Bjǫrn (not 'he calls Bjǫrn')
• heita someone (dat.) something (dat.) promise something to someone — dative of the person and dative of the thing promised hét hann honum vináttu sinni he promised him his friendship
• heita á someone (acc.) call upon, invoke, appeal to someone (a god, a saint, or a man) with a vow hann hét á Þór til fulltings he called on Thor for help
• heita someone (acc.) something (acc.) name someone something — this transitive use takes the accusative for both hét hann sveininn Óláf he named the boy Óláfr
• heitask við someone (acc.) threaten someone, utter threats against someone hann hézk við þá he uttered threats against them
• heitask at + inf. vow, pledge oneself to do something hann hézk at gera hof he vowed to build a temple

English cognate

hight

live, dwell, keep house, farm; prepare, equip, make ready; arrange, dress

búask get oneself ready, prepare, make ready to set out (búask til ferðar); búask við something (dat.) 'prepare for, be on one's guard against, expect'; búask um 'settle in, make one's quarters, entrench oneself'

Hann bjó á Skriðnisenni.

He lived at Skriðnisenni.

Bandamanna saga, ch. 2

strong class VII (contracted) búa · býr · bjó · bjoggu (bjuggu) · búinn Modern Icelandic búa (býr, bjó, búið)

Idioms and usage

• búa at/í something (dat.) have one's farm at, keep house at (dat.) — of a man's whole standing as householder hann bjó at Hlíðarenda he had his farm at Hlíðarendi
• búask við something (dat.) prepare for, be on one's guard against, expect something (dat.) — often both at once þeir bjoggusk við ófriði they made ready for hostilities
• búask at + inf. (til ferðar) get ready to do something, make ready to set out hann bjósk at fara útan he made ready to go abroad
• búa um something (acc.) arrange, see to, make up (a bed, a wound, a grave) hon bjó um sárit she dressed the wound
• vel búinn well equipped, well armed or dressed — the participle used as a plain adjective hann var vel búinn at vápnum he was well armed
• búa yfir something (dat.) harbour, be plotting something (dat.) — of concealed intent hann býr yfir svikum he is harbouring treachery
• búa skip fit out, equip a ship (acc.) — the transitive 'prepare' sense hann bjó skip sitt til hafs he fitted out his ship for the open sea
• vera búinn at + inf. have finished doing something — the ordinary way of saying 'have already done' hann var búinn at mæla he had finished speaking

English cognate

be

see, look

sjásk be seen, appear; (with fyrir) look ahead, be cautious — sjásk ekki fyrir 'be reckless'; sjásk um 'look about one'; sjásk við something (acc.) 'beware of, be afraid of'

Sjá þá hvárir aðra.

Then each side sees the other.

Finnboga saga ramma, ch. 35

strong class V (contracted) sjá · sér · sá · sá (3pl; 1pl sám) · sénn Modern Icelandic sjá (sér, sá, séð)

Idioms and usage

• sjá við something (dat.) beware of, guard against something — dat., not 'see with' sé þú við vélum hans beware of his tricks
• sjá um something (acc.) see to, look after, manage something hann sér um búit he looks after the farm
• sjá fyrir someone (dat.) provide for someone — but in a threat, 'do away with someone' ek skal sjá fyrir honum I shall provide for him (or, ominously, 'make an end of him')
• sjá ráð fyrir someone (dat.) settle someone's affairs, arrange a match for someone — not 'see advice' hann sá ráð fyrir dóttur sinni he arranged a marriage for his daughter
• sjásk fyrir look ahead, take heed; with a negative, 'be reckless' hann sásk ekki fyrir he took no heed of the consequences
• sjásk um look about one, take a look round (mediopassive, not passive) þeir sásk um í skóginum they looked about them in the wood
• sjá something (acc.) á someone (dat.) see something from someone's looks or bearing þat mátti sjá á honum that could be seen in his face

English cognate

see

ask, request, bid; pray; woo, ask for in marriage

biðjask fyrir: say one's prayers, pray (the standard idiom); biðjask undan something (dat.): beg off from something

Síðan bað hann Guðrúnar.

Then he asked for Guðrún's hand in marriage.

Laxdœla saga, ch. 35

strong class V biðja · biðr · bað · báðu · beðinn Modern Icelandic biðja (biður, bað, beðið)

Idioms and usage

• biðja someone (acc.) someone/something (gen.) ask someone for something — acc. of the person, gen. of the thing asked for hann bað konung friðar he asked the king for peace
• biðja someone (dat.) someone/something (gen.) ask for something on someone's behalf, intercede — dat. of the person, gen. of the thing hann bað honum griða he begged quarter for him
• biðja (sér) konu woo, ask for a woman in marriage; with sér, 'seek a wife for oneself' hann bað sér konu he sought himself a wife in marriage
• biðja fyrir someone (dat.) pray for someone; also intercede for someone hon bað fyrir syni sínum she prayed for her son
• biðjask fyrir say one's prayers — the standard idiom for praying, mediopassive hann baðsk fyrir í kirkju he said his prayers in the church
• biðja someone (acc.) at + inf. ask someone to do something — a request, never a command ('bid' in the ordering sense is bjóða) hon bað hann at fara varliga she asked him to go warily
• biðjask undan something (dat.) beg off from something, ask to be excused — dat. hann baðsk undan ferðinni he begged off from the journey

English cognate

bid

ask; hear of, learn, get news of

spyrjask be heard of, become known (þat spyrsk 'word of it gets about'); spyrjask fyrir (um something (acc.)): make inquiries; spyrjask tíðendi: exchange news with one another

Spyrjask þessi tíðendi nú.

These tidings now spread abroad.

Finnboga saga ramma, ch. 30

weak class 1 spyrja · spyrr · spurði · spurðu · spurðr Modern Icelandic spyrja (spyr, spurði, spurt)

Idioms and usage

• spyrja someone (acc.) someone/something (gen.) ask someone about something — acc. of the person, gen. of the matter hann spurði þá tíðenda he asked them for news
• spyrja tíðendi / spyrja something (acc.) get news of something, learn of something (acc.) — the hearer is the subject, so not 'ask about' þeir spurðu þessi tíðendi they got news of these events
• spyrja someone (acc.) at something (dat.) ask someone about something — the alternative to the genitive, with at + dat. hann spurði mik at nafni he asked me my name
• spyrja til someone/something (gen.) hear tidings of someone, get word of someone — gen., still the 'learn' sense þeir spurðu til bróður hans they got news of his brother
• spyrja someone (acc.) dauðan hear that someone is dead — acc. plus predicative adjective hann spurði fǫður sinn dauðan he learned that his father was dead
• þat spyrsk word of it gets about, it becomes known — mediopassive turns the 'learn' sense round þat spyrsk brátt that will soon be heard of
• spyrjask fyrir um something (acc.) make inquiries about something hann spurðisk fyrir um málit he made inquiries about the case

English cognate

speer / spir

intend, mean, plan; think, suppose, expect

ætlask fyrir: purpose, plan, have in mind; ætlask til someone/something (gen.): expect something, count on something; ætlask something (acc.): intend something for oneself

Þat ætlar hann yðr.

That is what he intends for you.

Bandamanna saga, ch. 8

weak class 2 ætla · ætlar · ætlaði · ætluðu · ætlaðr Modern Icelandic ætla (ætlar, ætlaði, ætlað)

Idioms and usage

• ætla at + inf. intend to, be going to — often little more than a future auxiliary ek ætla at fara útan I mean to go abroad
• ætla someone (dat.) something (acc.) intend or assign something for someone — dat. of the person, acc. of the thing hann ætlaði mér bana he intended death for me
• ætla someone (acc.) vera something (acc.) suppose someone to be something — acc. and inf.; here the sense is 'think', not 'intend' ek ætla hann vera vin minn I take him to be my friend
• ætla sér something (acc.) intend something for oneself, mean to have something hann ætlaði sér ríkit he meant the realm for himself
• ætlask fyrir have in mind, purpose — the commonest mediopassive use hvat ætlask þú fyrir? what do you have in mind?
• ætlask til someone/something (gen.) expect something, count on something — gen. hann ætlaðisk til liðveizlu he counted on support

get, obtain, receive; be able to, manage to; give, hand over (with dat. of person)

fásk be got, be obtainable, be to be had (þat fæsk eigi 'it is not to be had'); fásk við something (acc.): deal with, tackle, contend with; fásk um something (acc.): make a fuss about something

Fekk Kveld-Ulfr honum langskip.

Kveld-Ulfr got him a longship.

Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar, ch. 1

strong class VII fá · fær · fekk · fengu · fenginn Modern Icelandic fá (fær, fékk, fengið)

Idioms and usage

• fá + pp. / supine be able to, manage to — periphrastic, with the supine of the main verb fekk hann eigi sofit he could not get to sleep
• fá someone (dat.) something (acc.) hand something over to someone, give someone something — dat. of person, acc. of thing; the opposite direction from 'get' hann fekk honum sverðit he handed him the sword
• fá sér konu take a wife, marry (fá konu likewise 'marry a woman') hann fekk sér konu um vetrinn he took a wife that winter
• fá bana meet one's death, be killed — not 'get a slayer' þar fekk hann bana there he met his death
• fásk um something (acc.) make a fuss about something, take on about something fásk eigi um þetta do not make a fuss about this
• fásk við someone (acc.) / something (acc.) deal with, contend with, take on someone or something illt er við hann at fásk he is a hard man to deal with
• something (acc.) fæsk (eigi) something is (not) to be had — quasi-passive mediopassive þat fæsk eigi that is not to be had

English cognate

fang

carry, bear; bring; bear (children); wear (weapons, clothes)

berask at: happen, come to pass; berask (vel/illa) at: behave, conduct oneself (well/badly); berask á: be conspicuous, make a show; berask fyrir: take place, appear

Báru 2 menn hvára.

Two men carried each one.

Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar, ch. 55

strong class IV bera · berr · bar · báru · borinn Modern Icelandic bera (ber, bar, borið)

Idioms and usage

• berask at happen, come to pass — impersonal narrative formula, no agent þat barsk at um sumarit it came about that summer
• bera vitni bear witness, give testimony — legal, no article with vitni þeir báru vitni um málit they gave testimony in the case
• bera af someone (dat.) surpass someone, excel — dat.; 'carry off' only figuratively hann berr af ǫllum mǫnnum he surpasses all men
• bera someone (acc.) ráðum overbear someone in counsel, overrule someone — acc. of person, dat. of the means þeir báru hann ráðum they overruled him
• berr fundum þeira saman they chance to meet — impersonal, with the meeting in the dative and no subject þá bar fundum þeira saman then they happened to meet
• bera something (acc.) upp bring something forward — a case, a proposal, an errand hann bar upp erendi sitt he brought forward his business
• berask vel (illa) at conduct oneself well (badly) — of bearing, not of events hann barsk vel at he bore himself well
• berr something (acc.) impersonal: something is carried along, drifts — bare acc. and no agent bar skipit at landi the ship was carried ashore

English cognate

bear

be able, can, have the strength to; may, be possible

Þat má vel vera.

That may well be.

Bandamanna saga, ch. 4

preterite-present mega · má · mátti · máttu · mátt (supine) Modern Icelandic mega (má, mátti, mátt)

Idioms and usage

• mega + bare inf. be able to, can — no at before the infinitive ek má eigi ganga lengra I cannot go any further
• mega sín mikit (lítit) be powerful (count for little) — reflexive gen. sín, of standing not permission hann mátti sín mikit he counted for much
• mega mikit við someone (acc.) have great influence with someone — the acc. mikit is extent, not an object hann má mikit við konunginn he has great influence with the king
• mega (eigi) við something (dat.) be able to withstand something — dat.; with a negative, 'could not hold out against' hann mátti eigi við þeim he could not withstand them
• someone (dat.) má vel (illa) someone fares well (badly) — impersonal with dat. of the person, of health or condition hversu má þér? how do you fare?
• má vera at … it may be that — impersonal of possibility, subjunctive in the clause má vera at hann komi it may be that he will come

English cognate

may, might

know; (with a directional word) face, point toward

Ek vissa þat eigi.

I did not know that.

Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar, ch. 58

preterite-present vita · veit · vissi · vissu · vitaðr / vitat Modern Icelandic vita (veit, vissi, vitað)

Idioms and usage

• vita út / upp / til someone/something (gen.) face, point, be turned towards — with a word of direction, nothing to do with knowing vissu spjótin út the spears pointed outwards
• vita af something (dat.) (vita til someone/something (gen.)) know of something, be aware of something — af + dat., til + gen. ek veit ekki af þessu I know nothing of this
• vita góðu (illu) bode well (ill), portend — the thing portended stands in the dative þat mun eigi góðu vita that will bode no good
• vita something (acc.) fyrir know something beforehand, foresee hann vissi þat fyrir he knew of it beforehand
• something (acc.) vitask become known, be found out — mediopassive, quasi-passive þat mun brátt vitask that will soon become known
• vitask something (acc.) á hendr sér acknowledge something as one's own doing — legal formula hann vissisk vígit á hendr sér he acknowledged the killing as his own

English cognate

wit

give; grant, bestow

gefask turn out, prove (to be) — gefask vel/illa 'turn out well/badly'; gefask upp 'give up, surrender'; gefask someone (dat.) 'give oneself over to someone'

Honum gaf hon Hundadal.

To him she gave Hundadal.

Laxdœla saga, ch. 6

strong class V gefa · gefr · gaf · gáfu · gefinn Modern Icelandic gefa (gefur, gaf, gefið)

Idioms and usage

• gefa someone (dat.) something (acc.) give someone something — dat. of the recipient, acc. of the thing, fixed order of cases hann gaf honum sverðit he gave him the sword
• gefask vel (illa) turn out well (badly), prove good or bad — not a passive of 'give' þat gafsk vel that turned out well
• gefa something (acc.) upp remit, pardon (a charge, a debt); also give something up hann gaf upp sakar he remitted the charges
• gefask upp surrender, yield — mediopassive, of men in a fight þeir gáfusk upp they surrendered
• gefa someone (dat.) sǫk (á something (dat.)) lay the blame on someone, charge someone with something — dat. of person, acc. sǫk hann gaf mér sǫk á því he laid the blame for it on me
• gefr someone (dat.) byr impersonal of wind and weather: someone gets a fair wind — dat. of persons, acc. of the wind, no subject gaf þeim byr um kveldit they got a fair wind that evening
• gefa sér fátt um something (acc.) make little of something, show indifference to something hann gaf sér fátt um he made little of it

English cognate

give

lay, place, put; thrust (with a weapon); impose, appoint

leggjask lie down; set out, betake oneself (leggjask í ferðir 'take to travelling', leggjask út 'become an outlaw, take to the wilds'); leggjask á someone (acc.): attack, set upon; leggjask niðr: cease, fall into disuse

Hann lagði fátt til.

He had little to say about it.

Finnboga saga ramma, ch. 7

weak class 1 leggja · leggr · lagði · lǫgðu · lagðr Modern Icelandic leggja (leggur, lagði, lagt)

Idioms and usage

• leggja til someone/something (gen.) (með something (dat.)) thrust at someone with a point — gen. of the target, dat. of the weapon; opposed to hǫggva 'strike with an edge' hann lagði til hans spjóti he thrust at him with a spear
• leggja something (acc.) til (leggja someone (dat.) something (acc.) til) contribute something towards, furnish someone with something — the same phrase as the thrust, told apart only by context hann lagði fé til ferðar he contributed money towards the journey
• leggja við líf sitt stake one's life on it — leggja við is 'put at stake, pledge' hann lagði við líf sitt he staked his life on it
• leggja something (acc.) niðr lay something aside, abolish, discontinue (a custom, a case) þeir lǫgðu niðr þann sið they abolished that custom
• leggjask út take to the wilds as an outlaw — not 'lie out' hann lagðisk út á fjǫll he took to the mountains as an outlaw
• leggja something (acc.) á someone (acc.) impose something on someone — a tax, a penalty, a duty konungr lagði skatt á landit the king imposed a tax on the land
• leggjask niðr lie down (of a person); of a custom or a case, fall into disuse, cease lagðisk hann niðr ok svaf he lay down and slept
• leggja at (something (dat.)) of a ship, lay alongside — to put in, or to attack þeir lǫgðu at skipinu they laid alongside the ship

English cognate

lay

find, meet; discover, perceive

finnask meet one another, come together; be found, be met with; be felt or perceived. Impersonal someone (dat.) finnsk fátt um something (acc.) 'someone thinks little of something'.

Þar fundusk undir bein.

There, bones were found underneath.

Laxdœla saga, ch. 76

strong class III finna · finnr · fann · fundu · fundinn Modern Icelandic finna (finnur, fann, fundum, fundið)

Idioms and usage

• finna someone (acc.) meet, go to see someone — with a person as object 'meet' is commoner than 'find' fundu þeir Hrút they met Hrútr
• finnask (recipr.) meet one another — the ordinary way to say 'they met' þeir fundusk um várit they met in the spring
• finna at something (dat.) find fault with something, object to something (at + dat.) — not 'find at' hann fann at verkinu he found fault with the work
• someone (dat.) finnsk fátt um something (acc.) impers. with dat. experiencer: someone thinks little of something, is unimpressed honum fannsk fátt um he was not impressed by it
• finna á someone (dat.) perceive in someone, notice from someone's manner (that something is so) fann hann þat á henni he perceived that in her
• finna someone (acc.) at máli go to speak with someone, seek an interview — a set formula, not 'find someone at speech' hann fann konung at máli he went to speak with the king
• finna someone (dat.) something (acc.) til saka lay something to someone's charge (dat. of person, acc. of the charge) hvat finnr þú mér til saka? what charge do you bring against me?

English cognate

find

offer, invite; command

bjóðask offer oneself, volunteer; bjóðask til someone/something (gen.) / til at gera something (acc.) 'offer to do something'; be offered, present itself (of an opportunity).

Bauð Hǫskuldr Óláfi til sín.

Hoskuld invited Olaf to stay with him.

Laxdœla saga, ch. 22

strong class II bjóða · býðr · bauð · buðu · boðinn Modern Icelandic bjóða (býður, bauð, buðum, boðið)

Idioms and usage

• bjóða someone (dat.) something (acc.) offer someone something — dat. of the person, acc. of the thing bauð hann þeim gjafar he offered them gifts
• bjóða someone (dat.) heim invite someone (to one's) home — heim is the adverb 'homewards', not an object bauð hann þeim heim he invited them home
• bjóða someone (dat.) at gera something (acc.) order, command someone to do something — the 'command' sense is as basic as 'offer' konungr bauð þeim at fara the king ordered them to go
• someone (dat.) býðr something (acc.) í hug impers. with dat.: something comes into someone's mind, someone has a foreboding of something mér býðr þat í hug I have a feeling about that
• bjóðask til someone/something (gen.) / til at gera something (acc.) mediopass.: offer oneself, volunteer for something (til + gen.) buðusk þeir til ferðar they volunteered for the journey
• bjóða someone (dat.) til sín invite someone to one's house (til sín, not til síns) bauð hann þeim til sín he invited them to his home

English cognate

bid

sit, stay; remain, dwell

Helgi sat við eld.

Helgi was sitting by the fire.

Droplaugarsona saga, ch. 9

strong class V sitja · sitr · sat · sátu · setinn Modern Icelandic sitja (situr, sat, sátum, setið)

Idioms and usage

• sitja um someone (acc.) lie in wait for, besiege someone — never 'sit around' þeir sátu um hann they lay in wait for him
• sitja yfir something (dat.) preside over, attend to something (yfir + dat.), esp. of lawsuits and the sick sitja yfir málum manna to preside over men's cases
• sitja kyrr stay quiet, keep still, make no move — with the adj. agreeing hann sat kyrr um vetrinn he stayed quiet over the winter
• sitja heima / sitja at búi stay at home, keep house — the verb is stative 'remain, dwell' sat hann heima um vetrinn he stayed at home over the winter
• sitja fyrir someone (dat.) waylay, ambush someone (fyrir + dat.) sátu þeir fyrir honum they waylaid him
• sitja hjá sit by, take no part in a matter, stay neutral hann sat hjá um málit he took no part in the case

English cognate

sit

advise, decide, rule over; interpret (a dream, runes); manage, bring about

ráðask á someone (acc.) / at someone (dat.) 'attack someone'; ráðask til ferðar 'set out on a journey'; ráðask í something (acc.) 'undertake something'; ráðask með someone (dat.) / til someone/something (gen.) 'enter someone's service, join someone'; of matters, 'turn out, be settled' (þat réðsk svá).

Þorvaldr rézk í mót honum.

Þorvaldr turned to meet him.

Finnboga saga ramma, ch. 29

strong class VII (reduplicating) ráða · ræðr · réð · réðu · ráðinn Modern Icelandic ráða (ræður, réð, réðum, ráðið)

Idioms and usage

• ráða something (dat.) rule over, govern, have control of something — takes the DATIVE réð hann þar lǫndum he ruled the lands there
• ráða draum interpret a dream (acc.) — never 'read' it; ráða is not lesa ráð þú draum minn interpret my dream
• ráða rúnar make out, interpret runes (acc.) — decipherment, not reading a text hann réð rúnarnar he made out the runes
• ráða someone (dat.) bana compass someone's death, bring about someone's killing (dat. of victim, acc. bana) þeir réðu honum bana they brought about his death
• ráða á someone (acc.) / ráðask á someone (acc.) attack, set upon someone — the stock phrase for the outbreak of violence réðusk þeir á hann they set upon him
• ráða + inf. periphrastic auxiliary, esp. in verse: 'proceed to do' — often barely more than the plain verb réð hann at mæla he spoke (not 'he decided to speak')
• ráðask til ferðar mediopass.: set out on a journey, engage oneself for a voyage (til + gen.) hann réðsk til ferðar með þeim he set out on the journey with them
• ráða someone (dat.) something (acc.) advise someone something — dat. of the person advised, acc. of the counsel réð hann honum þat ráð he gave him that counsel

English cognate

read

stand; stand still, remain, be the case

standask withstand, hold out against (standask something (acc.)); hold good, remain valid; standask á 'correspond, tally, be exactly opposite'.

Þá stendr upp Þórarinn.

Then Þórarinn stands up.

Bandamanna saga, ch. 10

strong class VI standa · stendr · stóð · stóðu · staðinn Modern Icelandic standa (stendur, stóð, stóðum, staðið)

Idioms and usage

• standa yfir be going on, be in progress, last — of feasts, battles, assemblies meðan veizlan stóð yfir while the feast was going on
• standa á something (dat.) depend on, turn on something; impers. stendr á something (dat.) 'something is the hindrance' á því stendr allt várt mál our whole case turns on that
• standask something (acc.) mediopass.: withstand, hold out against something — takes the ACCUSATIVE though the active is intransitive þeir stóðusk eigi atgǫngu hans they could not withstand his onslaught
• stendr someone (dat.) ótti af someone (dat.) someone is in dread of someone — dat. of the one afraid, af + dat. of the one feared stóð þeim ótti af honum they went in dread of him
• standa someone (dat.) avail, be of use to someone — dative of advantage, usually with a negative ekki stóð honum þat that availed him nothing
• standask á mediopass.: correspond, tally exactly; be directly opposite one another þat stózk á the two tallied exactly

English cognate

stand

call, name; claim, assert

kallask be called, be named; call oneself, claim to be (kallask konungr); say of oneself that (kallask hafa gert something (acc.) 'claim to have done something').

Þat kǫlluðu þeir Knarrarnes.

They called that place Knarrarnes.

Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar, ch. 28

weak class 2 kalla · kallar · kallaði · kǫlluðu · kallaðr Modern Icelandic kalla (kallar, kallaði, kallað)

Idioms and usage

• kalla someone (acc.) something (acc.) call, name someone something — two accusatives, person and name alike kǫlluðu þeir hann Þórólf they called him Þórólfr
• kallask + inf. mediopass.: claim, say of oneself that — reports the speaker's assertion, not the narrator's fact hann kallaðisk eiga jǫrðina he claimed to own the land
• kalla til someone/something (gen.) lay claim to something (til + gen.) — a legal claim, not 'call to' hann kallaði til arfsins he laid claim to the inheritance
• kalla someone (acc.) vera something (acc.) say, assert that someone is something — kalla very often means 'declare', not 'shout' kalla þeir hann vera vitran mann they say he is a wise man
• kalla á someone (acc.) call out to, summon someone (á + acc.) hann kallaði á menn sína he called to his men
• kalla someone (acc.) something (dat.) nafni call someone by a name — the name stands in the DATIVE here kǫlluðu þeir hann því nafni they called him by that name

English cognate

call

leap, run; rush, spring

hlaupask á 'clash, come to blows, attack one another'; hlaupask á brott / hlaupask frá something (dat.) 'run away, abscond'.

Síðan hljópu þeir út.

Then they ran outside.

Brennu-Njáls saga, ch. 98

strong class VII (reduplicating) hlaupa · hleypr · hljóp · hljópu · hlaupinn Modern Icelandic hlaupa (hleypur, hljóp, hlupum, hlaupið)

Idioms and usage

• hlaupa til someone/something (gen.) run to something — the plain sense is 'run', not 'leap' hann hljóp til skips he ran to the ship
• hlaupa á someone (acc.) rush at, attack someone (á + acc.) hljópu þeir á hann they rushed at him
• hleypr á (of weather, war) break out, spring up — with the wind or storm as nominative subject þá hljóp á stormr then a storm sprang up
• hlaupask á mediopass. recipr.: clash, come to blows with one another hljópusk þeir á they clashed
• hlaupa upp spring up, start to one's feet — of a sudden violent movement hljóp hann upp he sprang up
• hlaupa fram (of a river or glacier) burst forth, flood — the source of the noun hlaup 'glacial flood' áin hljóp fram the river burst its banks

English cognate

leap

hold, keep; steer, make one's way; observe, maintain, consider

haldask hold good, last, remain in force; be kept or preserved; haldask við 'keep one's ground, hold out, stay'.

Hann helt til Íslands.

He sailed for Iceland.

Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar, ch. 66

strong class VII (reduplicating) halda · heldr · helt · heldu · haldinn Modern Icelandic halda (heldur, hélt, héldum, haldið)

Idioms and usage

• halda something (dat.) hold, keep hold of, keep something in a state — the physical sense takes the DATIVE helt hann sverðinu he kept hold of the sword
• halda á something (dat.) hold something in one's hand, be holding something (á + dat.) hann helt á spjóti he was holding a spear
• halda til someone/something (gen.) / halda út steer for, make for a place; put out to sea — standard in voyage narrative heldu þeir til Íslands they steered for Iceland
• halda something (acc.) observe, keep up, maintain something (laws, feasts, a promise) — this sense takes the ACCUSATIVE hann helt vel lǫgin he kept the laws well
• halda someone (acc.) vera something (acc.) consider, believe someone to be something — acc. with inf., not 'hold someone down' ek held hann vera vin minn I consider him my friend
• halda vǫrð keep watch, stand guard — light-verb formula with the acc. noun þeir heldu vǫrð um nóttina they kept watch during the night
• haldask mediopass.: hold good, last, remain in force — esp. of settlements and agreements sú sætt helzk vel that settlement held well
• halda something (dat.) fram assert, maintain something; press something forward (dat.) hann helt því fram he maintained that

English cognate

hold

part, separate; distinguish; understand; stipulate

skiljask part, separate (of persons); skiljask við someone (acc.) 'part from someone, leave someone'; skiljask á 'differ, disagree'; be parted or dissolved (of a marriage or a fleet).

Hvárt skilðisk mér rétt?

Did I understand it correctly?

Bandamanna saga, ch. 10

weak class 1 skilja · skilr · skilði · skilðu · skiliðr / skildr Modern Icelandic skilja (skilur, skildi, skilið)

Idioms and usage

• skilja something (acc.) part, separate, divide something — the primary classical sense, not 'understand' áin skilr héruðin the river divides the districts
• skiljask við someone (acc.) mediopass.: part from, leave someone — the stock formula for ending a scene skilðusk þeir at því with that they parted
• skilr someone (acc.) á impers. with ACC. of the disputants: they disagree, fall out þá skilr á um málit then they disagree about the case
• skilja something (acc.) undan reserve, except something (in a bargain or settlement) — legal use hann skilði undan jǫrðina he reserved the land out of the bargain
• skilja something (acc.) í kaupi stipulate something in a bargain; cf. skilja á something (dat.) 'make a stipulation about something' þat skilðu þeir í kaupinu they stipulated that in the bargain
• skilja something (acc.) (of speech or sense) understand something — a secondary development from 'distinguish', never the default reading ek skil eigi mál þitt I do not understand your speech

English cognate

skill

set, place; appoint, establish

setjask sit down, take one's seat; settle, take up residence; setjask niðr 'sit down, settle'; setjask upp 'sit up'; setjask um something (acc.) 'lay siege to something'; setjask í something (acc.) 'take possession of, install oneself in'.

Konungr settisk í hásæti.

The king sat down on the high seat.

Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar, ch. 11

weak class 1 setja · setr · setti · settu · settr Modern Icelandic setja (setur, setti, sett)

Idioms and usage

• setjask niðr mediopass.: sit down — 'sit down' is setjask, never sitja, which is stative settusk þeir niðr they sat down
• setjask í something (dat.) mediopass.: settle, take up residence in a place hann settisk í Nóregi he settled in Norway
• setja þing convene, open an assembly — institutional idiom, not 'set a thing down' þeir settu þing they convened an assembly
• setja someone (acc.) yfir something (acc.) put someone in charge of something, set someone over a realm (acc. of person, yfir + acc.) setti hann son sinn yfir ríkit he set his son over the realm
• setja lǫg lay down, establish laws þeir settu lǫg í landinu they established laws in the land
• setja something (acc.) saman compose a poem or book — 'put together', not 'set side by side' hann setti saman kvæði he composed a poem
• setja upp skip draw a ship up ashore for the winter — not 'set up a ship' settu þeir upp skipit they drew the ship ashore

English cognate

set

seek, attack; prosecute at law; also visit, resort to, advance

sœkjask be pursued/prosecuted; make headway, get on (sœkisk seint 'it goes slowly'); sœkjask at (recipr.) 'close with one another, come to blows'

Þeir sœkja at Finnboga.

They attack Finnbogi.

Finnboga saga ramma, ch. 27

weak class 1 sœkja · sœkir · sótti · sóttu · sóttr Modern Icelandic sækja (sækir, sótti, sótt)

Idioms and usage

• sœkja mál / sœkja sǫk prosecute a suit at law — the plaintiff's act, opposite verja 'defend' hann sótti málit á þingi he prosecuted the case at the assembly
• sœkja someone (acc.) um something (acc.) sue someone (acc.) for something; sœkja someone (acc.) til someone/something (gen.) 'sue someone for (a penalty)' hann sótti hann um vígit he sued him for the killing
• sœkja at someone (dat.) attack someone — dative after at, not 'seek out' þeir sóttu at honum they attacked him
• sœkja heim someone (acc.) visit someone — or come at him in his own house; the two senses are deliberately hard to separate þeir sóttu hann heim they came to him at home (visited him — or set on him there)
• sœkja fram press forward in an attack, advance þeir sóttu fram djarfliga they pressed forward boldly
• sœkisk seint (impers., dat. of the person) progress is slow, it goes slowly for someone — mediopassive of making headway þeim sóttisk seint they made slow headway
• sœkjask at (recipr.) close with one another, come to blows þeir sóttusk at lengi they fought each other for a long while

English cognate

seek

fall; be slain (in battle); drop, sink; suit, please (impers.)

fallask come to nothing, fail; fallask hendr someone (dat.) 'someone's hands drop, someone loses heart'; fellsk someone (dat.) hugr 'someone's courage fails'

Fellr lið af hvárumtveggjum.

Men fell on both sides.

Finnboga saga ramma, ch. 35

strong class VII falla · fellr · fell · fellu · fallinn Modern Icelandic falla (fellur, féll, fallið)

Idioms and usage

• falla be slain, be killed — the unmarked sense in any fight scene hann fell í orrostunni he was killed in the battle (not 'he fell over')
• falla fyrir someone (dat.) be slain by someone (dat.) — fyrir marks the killer, not a place fallen in front of hann fell fyrir honum he was slain by him
• fellr someone (dat.) vel / illa it pleases / displeases someone — impers., dative experiencer, the thing is the subject mér fellr þat illa that displeases me
• fellr someone (dat.) vel í geð it is to someone's liking, someone takes to it (dat. of the person) honum fellr þat vel í geð that is much to his liking
• falla frá pass away, die (of natural death, not in battle) hann fell frá um vetrinn he died that winter
• falla í ómegin faint, swoon hon fell í ómegin she fainted
• falla niðr lapse, drop — of a lawsuit or a matter allowed to die málit fell niðr the suit lapsed
• fallask hendr someone (dat.) / fellsk someone (dat.) hugr someone's hands drop, someone's courage fails — lexicalized mediopassive with dat. of the person fellusk honum hendr his hands dropped (he lost heart)

English cognate

fall

grant, give, render (help); afford, bestow; hold (a feast); channel or divert (water)

veitask be granted, fall to one's lot; veitask at (recipr.) 'set upon one another'; veitask something (acc.) 'grant one another something'

Geirmundr veitir Óláfi vel.

Geirmundr receives Óláfr well.

Laxdœla saga, ch. 29

weak class 1 veita · veitir · veitti · veittu · veittr Modern Icelandic veita (veitir, veitti, veitt)

Idioms and usage

• veita someone (dat.) atgǫngu attack someone — light verb: the noun atganga carries the sense, nothing is 'granted' þeir veittu honum atgǫngu they attacked him
• veita someone (dat.) áverka / tilræði wound someone / make an attempt on someone — again the noun is the verb of the English hann veitti honum áverka he wounded him
• veita someone (dat.) lið / fulltingi support someone, back someone up (dat. of person, acc. of the abstract noun) hann veitti þeim lið he backed them up
• veita someone (dat.) eptirfǫr pursue someone, give chase þeir veittu honum eptirfǫr they pursued him
• veita someone (dat.) at málum back someone in a lawsuit, take his side in the case hann veitti honum at málum he backed him in the suit
• veita veizlu hold a feast, entertain — the host's word, cognate noun and verb together hann veitti mikla veizlu he held a great feast
• veita vatni lead water off, divert a stream — takes the dative, and here the concrete sense is the point þeir veittu vatninu á engit they led the water onto the meadow
• veitask at (recipr.) set upon one another, attack each other þeir veittusk at they set upon one another

kill, slay; strike, smite; dip, thrust, put

drepask be killed, perish, die off (of livestock); drepask (niðr) 'come to nothing'; recipr. 'kill one another'

Helgi drap þegar þrælinn.

Helgi killed the thrall at once.

Droplaugarsona saga, ch. 7

strong class V drepa · drepr · drap · drápu · drepinn Modern Icelandic drepa (drepur, drap, drepið)

Idioms and usage

• drepa hendi við something (dat.) wave something aside, decline it — dative after við; 'strike with the hand at' hann drap hendi við því he waved it aside (refused it)
• drepa hǫfði nod the head (dat. of the instrument) — nothing to do with killing hann drap hǫfði he nodded
• drepa niðr something (dat.) put something down, suppress or quash it (dat.) þeir drápu niðr málinu they quashed the suit
• drepa fingri í something (acc.) dip a finger into something — the old 'thrust, put' sense hon drap fingri í vatnit she dipped a finger in the water
• drepa á something (acc.) touch on a subject, mention it in passing hann drap á þat mál he touched on that matter
• drepask be killed; (of livestock) die off; recipr. kill one another margt fé drapsk um vetrinn much of the livestock died off over the winter

speak, talk; make a speech, discuss

talask við: talk together, converse (þeir tǫluðusk við 'they talked with one another') — the standard way to say two people held a conversation

Þeir tǫluðusk margt við.

They talked a lot with each other.

Finnboga saga ramma, ch. 13

weak class 2 tala · talar · talaði · tǫluðu · talaðr Modern Icelandic tala (talar, talaði, talað)

Idioms and usage

• tala um something (acc.) speak about something, discuss it — the ordinary way to say a matter was debated þeir tǫluðu um málit they discussed the case
• tala við someone (acc.) speak with someone (við + acc.) — for a single quoted utterance the sagas use mæla or segja hann talaði við konung he spoke with the king
• tala fyrir someone (dat.) address someone, make a speech before them (dat.) — not 'speak on someone's behalf' hann talaði fyrir liðinu he addressed the troop
• tala máli someone/something (gen.) plead someone's cause — dative mál(i) of the case, genitive of the person hann talaði máli þeirra he pleaded their cause
• tala til someone/something (gen.) lay claim to something (gen.); also 'address someone' hann talaði til arfsins he laid claim to the inheritance
• talask við converse, talk together — the standard way to say two people held a conversation þeir tǫluðusk við um hríð they talked together for a while

English cognate

tale, tell

strike, hew, cut; strike a blow with a weapon; fell (trees), slaughter (cattle)

hǫggvask hew at one another, exchange blows; hǫggvask til / hǫggvask á 'fight it out with edged weapons'

Bǫrkr høggr til Gunnars.

Bǫrkr strikes at Gunnarr.

Brennu-Njáls saga, ch. 63

strong class VII hǫggva · hǫggr · hjó · hjoggu · hǫggvinn Modern Icelandic höggva (höggur, hjó, höggvið)

Idioms and usage

• hǫggva mann (someone (acc.), acc.) cut a man down, kill him with the edge — not merely 'strike' him hann hjó manninn he cut the man down
• hǫggva til someone/something (gen.) aim a blow at someone (gen.) — the swing, whether or not it lands hann hjó til hans he struck at him
• hǫggva someone (acc.) banahǫgg deal someone his death-blow (acc. of person + acc. of the blow) hann hjó hann banahǫgg he dealt him his death-blow
• hǫggva á something (acc.) cut through something, sever it with a stroke hann hjó á strenginn he cut through the rope
• hǫggva skóg / við fell trees, cut timber — the same verb used of work, not combat þeir hjoggu skóg they felled timber
• hǫggva strandhǫgg raid the shore for cattle, slaughter livestock on a coastal raid þeir hjoggu strandhǫgg they raided the coast for cattle
• hǫggvask til / hǫggvask á (recipr.) hew at one another, fight it out with edged weapons þeir hjoggusk til they hewed at one another

English cognate

hew

need, have need of; be in want of; (with negative) have no need to, need not

Allmjǫk þarftu mín til.

You have great need of me for this.

Brennu-Njáls saga, ch. 151

preterite-present þurfa · þarf · þurfti · þurftu · þurft Modern Icelandic þurfa (þarf, þurfti, þurft)

Idioms and usage

• þurfa someone/something (gen.) need something — the thing needed stands in the GENITIVE, not the accusative þarf ek þíns liðsinnis I need your help
• eigi þarf at + inf. there is no need to do something — impersonal and negated, one of the verb's commonest shapes eigi þarf at spyrja there is no need to ask
• þurfa someone/something (gen.) við have need of something (gen.) — often impersonal, 'something is called for' eigi þarf orða við no words are needed
• þarf someone/something (gen.) (impers.) there is need of something (gen.), something is called for; þarf is a present, despite its preterite look hér þarf skjótra ráða quick counsel is needed here
• vera someone/something (gen.) þurfi be in need of something (gen.) — the related adjective þurfi, not a finite form of the verb ek em þess eigi þurfi I have no need of that

search for, look for; seek out, try to find; try, endeavour

leitask um: look about one, search around; leitask við (at gera something (acc.)): try, endeavour, make an attempt (to do something)

Þá leituðu þeir Skarpheðins.

Then they went looking for Skarphedinn and his men.

Brennu-Njáls saga, ch. 132

weak class 2 leita · leitar · leitaði · leituðu · leitaðr Modern Icelandic leita (leitar, leitaði, leitað)

Idioms and usage

• leita someone/something (gen.) look for someone/something — the thing sought stands in the GENITIVE, never the accusative hann leitaði hennar he looked for her
• leita ráðs við someone (acc.) seek counsel from someone — gen. of the thing sought, við + acc. of the person consulted hann leitaði ráðs við vini sína he sought counsel from his friends
• leita á someone (acc.) attack, provoke or make advances on someone — never 'search someone' þeir leituðu á hann they set upon him (not 'they searched him')
• leita at something (dat.) search for something (dat.) — concrete rummaging, as against the genitive of leita someone/something (gen.) þeir leituðu at hringinum they searched for the ring
• leita til someone/something (gen.) apply to someone, resort to something (gen.) hann leitaði til konungs he applied to the king
• leitask við at + inf. try, endeavour to do something — one of the standard saga ways of saying 'try to' hann leitaðisk við at komask undan he tried to get away
• leitask fyrir feel one's way, explore, sound things out beforehand þeir leituðusk fyrir um sættir they sounded out the prospects of a settlement

name, call by name; mention; appoint, nominate (esp. in legal procedure)

nefnask give one's name as, call oneself (hann nefndisk Gestr 'he said his name was Gestr'); also be named, be called

Mǫrðr nefndi sér vátta:

Mörðr named witnesses for himself:

Brennu-Njáls saga, ch. 135

weak class 1 nefna · nefnir · nefndi · nefndu · nefndr Modern Icelandic nefna (nefnir, nefndi, nefnt)

Idioms and usage

• nefna vátta (at something (dat.)) call witnesses (to something) — a formal procedural act, not 'mention witnesses' hann nefndi sér vátta he called witnesses for himself
• nefna dóm constitute a court, appoint the panel — legal 'appoint', not 'name' þeir nefndu dóm they constituted a court
• nefna someone (acc.) í dóm appoint someone to a court, seat him on the panel hann nefndi menn í dóminn he appointed men to the court
• nefnask give one's name as, call oneself — leaves open whether the name is the true one hann nefndisk Gestr he said his name was Gestr
• nefna someone (acc.) something (acc.) (double acc.) call someone by a name, give him that name þeir nefndu sveininn Þorstein they named the boy Þorsteinn
• nefna someone (acc.) á nafn call someone by name, address him by name hann nefndi hann á nafn he called him by name

English cognate

name

lie, be situated; lie down, remain lying; be at rest, be in a place or state

Þær liggja á Breiðafirði.

They lie in Breiðafjǫrðr.

Laxdœla saga, ch. 14

strong class V liggja · liggr · lá · lágu · leginn Modern Icelandic liggja (liggur, lá, legið)

Idioms and usage

• liggja við be at stake, be in the balance (of life, honour, property) þar liggr líf þitt við your life is at stake there
• liggja úti live rough as an outlaw in the wild — not merely 'sleep outdoors' hann lá úti á fjǫllum he lived as an outlaw in the mountains
• liggja á someone (dat.) lie heavy on someone, oppress someone (dat.); impers. liggr á 'it is urgent' þat liggr þungt á honum that weighs heavily on him
• liggja í landi lie moored at the shore, be laid up at home — of ships and of crews not out sailing skipin lágu í landi the ships lay moored ashore
• liggja í hernaði / í víkingu be out raiding, be on viking expedition — a settled way of life, not lying anywhere hann lá í víkingu he was out raiding
• liggja í sárum be laid up with wounds; likewise liggja sjúkr 'be ill in bed' hann lá í sárum he lay wounded
• liggja + prep. (of place) be situated — the ordinary way to say where a farm, land or ship is bœrinn liggr undir fjallinu the farm stands below the mountain
• something (acc.) liggr someone (dat.) í léttu rúmi someone cares little about something — dat. of the person, 'it lies in a light place for him' þat liggr honum í léttu rúmi he cares little about that

English cognate

lie

send

sendask be sent; (reciprocal) sendask something (acc.) á / á milli 'exchange (messages, gifts, words) with one another'

Í sonargjǫld sendi ek honum.

I sent it to him as compensation for a son.

Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar, ch. 55

weak class 1 senda · sendir · sendi · sendu · sendr Modern Icelandic senda (sendir, sendi, sent)

Idioms and usage

• senda someone (dat.) orð send word to someone, send a message (dat. of person, orð in the pl.-looking neut. acc.) hann sendi þeim orð he sent them word
• senda eptir someone (dat.) send for someone, summon them — eptir + dat., not 'send after' in pursuit konungr sendi eptir honum the king sent for him
• sendask something (acc.) á milli reciprocal mediopassive: exchange something with one another þeir sendusk gjafar á milli they exchanged gifts

English cognate

send

follow, accompany; escort, attend on

fylgjask accompany one another, keep together; fylgjask at 'travel/keep company together, go side by side'

Henni fylgði heiman Nesland.

The farm Nesland went with her from her home (as her dowry).

Droplaugarsona saga, ch. 2

weak class 1 fylgja · fylgir · fylgði · fylgðu · fylgðr Modern Icelandic fylgja (fylgir, fylgdi, fylgt)

Idioms and usage

• fylgja someone (dat.) follow, accompany someone — takes the DATIVE, never the accusative hann fylgði honum he followed him (honum dat., not *hann)
• fylgja someone (dat.) á leið escort a departing guest part of his way — a social duty; not 'follow him on the road' hann fylgði gestum á leið he escorted the guests on their way
• fylgja someone (dat.) at málum back someone in his lawsuits, be his supporter ek mun fylgja þér at málum I will support you in your suits
• fylgja something (dat.) fram carry a thing through, prosecute a suit vigorously þeir fylgðu málinu fram they pressed the case through
• fylgjask at mediopassive, reciprocal: travel together, keep company þeir fylgðusk at um sumarit they travelled together that summer

English cognate

follow

turn, twist; turn round, direct; translate

snúask turn oneself, turn round; change, be changed; snúask til someone/something (gen.) 'turn to, be converted to'; snúask í móti someone (dat.) / at someone (dat.) 'turn against, round on someone'; snúask til ferðar 'set about a journey'

Egill snerisk í móti þeim.

Egil turned to face them.

Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar, ch. 57

strong class VII (contracted) snúa · snýr · sneri · sneru · snúinn Modern Icelandic snúa (snýr, sneri, snúið)

Idioms and usage

• snúa something (dat.) turn, twist something — object in the DATIVE hann sneri hesti sínum he turned his horse (hesti dat.)
• snúask við mediopassive is the ordinary intransitive 'turn (oneself) round' hann snerisk við skjótt he turned round quickly
• snúask til someone/something (gen.) turn to, go over to, be converted to something hann snerisk til trúar he turned to the faith
• snúa aptr turn back, go back (intransitive, no object) þeir sneru aptr til skips they turned back to the ship
• snúa máli á someone (acc.) turn the case (or the blame) against someone, direct the charge at him hann sneri málinu á þá he turned the case against them
• snúa something (dat.) á norrœnu translate something into Norse — 'turn' in the sense of rendering, with dat. of the text hann sneri bókinni á norrœnu he translated the book into Norse

pass, glide by (of time); go, move, glide; (later, with acc.) suffer, endure

Líðr nú á sumarit.

Now the summer wears on.

Bandamanna saga, ch. 3

strong class I líða · líðr · leið · liðu · liðinn Modern Icelandic líða (líður, leið, liðið) — in modern usage both 'pass (of time)' and 'suffer, feel' (mér líður vel 'I feel well') belong to this one verb

Idioms and usage

• líðr á daginn (impers.) the day wears on — impersonal, with the time-word in the accusative nú líðr á daginn now the day is wearing on
• er á leið something (acc.) as (a season, a period) drew on — stock time-marking formula with past leið er á leið vetrinn as the winter drew on
• er stundir liðu as time passed, in the course of time er stundir liðu fram as time went on
• líða undir lok come to an end, perish, die — not 'glide under a lid' þá leið hann undir lok then he perished
• líða at something (dat.) draw near to (a time, an event), approach — dat. of the thing approached nú líðr at jólum now Yule is drawing near
• líða yfir someone (acc.) pass over, come upon someone (acc.); of a swoon, 'he faints' þá leið yfir hann then he swooned (lit. it passed over him)

English cognate

lead

hear; listen to, give ear to

heyrask be heard, be audible; impersonal heyrisk mér 'it sounds to me, I gather (from what is said)'

Heyrðu þeir þangat mannamál.

They heard the sound of people talking there.

Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar, ch. 44

weak class 1 heyra · heyrir · heyrði · heyrðu · heyrðr Modern Icelandic heyra (heyrir, heyrði, heyrt)

Idioms and usage

• heyra til someone/something (gen.) (of a hearer) hear someone or something — gen. after til, subject is the person hearing ek heyrða til hans I heard him
• heyra til someone/something (gen.) (of a thing) belong to, be the concern of someone — same words, but the subject is a thing, not a hearer þat heyrir til konungs that belongs to the king (not 'that hears the king')
• heyra undir someone (acc.) fall under someone's authority or jurisdiction (legal-administrative) málit heyrir undir konung the case falls under the king
• heyr á endemi exclamation of outrage: 'what a monstrous thing!' — literally 'hear the unheard-of' heyr á endemi! what an outrage!
• heyra something (acc.) á someone (dat.) gather something from someone's words or tone þat mátti heyra á honum one could tell that from what he said
• someone (dat.) heyrisk svá impersonal mediopassive with dat.: it sounds to someone, he gathers from what is said mér heyrðisk svá so it sounded to me

English cognate

hear

close, shut; finish, conclude, bring to an end; pay (a debt); (with upp) open

lúkask be finished, come to an end, be concluded; lúkask upp 'open, be opened (intrans.)'

Lúka nú svá talinu.

So the conversation is now brought to an end.

Bandamanna saga, ch. 3

strong class II lúka (ljúka) · lýkr · lauk · luku · lokinn Modern Icelandic ljúka (lýkur, lauk, lokið)

Idioms and usage

• lýkr svá at… impersonal: 'it ends thus, that…' — the standard formula closing an episode ok lýkr svá at þeir sættask and it ended thus, that they were reconciled
• lúka upp something (dat.) open — the particle upp reverses the verb's 'close, shut' sense hann lauk upp hurðu he opened the door
• lúka something (dat.) finish, bring something to an end — object in the DATIVE þeir luku verkinu they finished the work (verkinu dat.)
• lúka someone (dat.) fé pay someone money, discharge a due — not 'shut money away' hann lauk honum fé he paid him the money
• lúka something (dat.) af get something finished off, dispatch it hann lauk af verkinu he got the work done
• lúka upp gerð pronounce an arbitration award, deliver a verdict — 'open up' a judgement þeir luku upp gerðinni they delivered their award

English cognate

lock