Numbers in Icelandic



Learn numbers in Icelandic

Knowing numbers in Icelandic is probably one of the most useful things you can learn to say, write and understand in Icelandic. Learning to count in Icelandic may appeal to you just as a simple curiosity or be something you really need. Perhaps you have planned a trip to a country where Icelandic is the most widely spoken language, and you want to be able to shop and even bargain with a good knowledge of numbers in Icelandic.

It's also useful for guiding you through street numbers. You'll be able to better understand the directions to places and everything expressed in numbers, such as the times when public transportation leaves. Can you think of more reasons to learn numbers in Icelandic?

Icelandic (Íslenska) is an Indo-European language that belongs to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Official language of Iceland, it counts about 360,000 speakers.

List of numbers in Icelandic

Here is a list of numbers in Icelandic. We have made for you a list with all the numbers in Icelandic from 1 to 20. We have also included the tens up to the number 100, so that you know how to count up to 100 in Icelandic. We also close the list by showing you what the number 1000 looks like in Icelandic.

  • 1) einn
  • 2) tveir
  • 3) þrír
  • 4) fjórir
  • 5) fimm
  • 6) sex
  • 7) sjö
  • 8) átta
  • 9) níu
  • 10) tiu
  • 11) ellefu
  • 12) tólf
  • 13) þréttán
  • 14) fjórtán
  • 15) fimmtán
  • 16) sextán
  • 17) sautján
  • 18) átján
  • 19) nitján
  • 20) tuttugu
  • 30) þrjátíu
  • 40) fjórutíu
  • 50) fimmtíu
  • 60) sextíu
  • 70) sjötíu
  • 80) áttatíu
  • 90) níutíu
  • 100) hundrað
  • 1,000) þúsund
  • one million) ein miljón
  • one billion) einn miljarður

Numbers in Icelandic: Icelandic numbering rules

Each culture has specific peculiarities that are expressed in its language and its way of counting. The Icelandic is no exception. If you want to learn numbers in Icelandic you will have to learn a series of rules that we will explain below. If you apply these rules you will soon find that you will be able to count in Icelandic with ease.

The way numbers are formed in Icelandic is easy to understand if you follow the rules explained here. Surprise everyone by counting in Icelandic. Also, learning how to number in Icelandic yourself from these simple rules is very beneficial for your brain, as it forces it to work and stay in shape. Working with numbers and a foreign language like Icelandic at the same time is one of the best ways to train our little gray cells, so let's see what rules you need to apply to number in Icelandic

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  • In Icelandic, the digits one to four have different gender forms depending on whether they refer to a masculine, a feminine, or a neutral noun, and they are declined too. They also have a plural form used to count items that come in pairs, such as shoes or socks, as well as plural nouns, like scissors. These plural forms are einir, tvennir, þrennir and fernir, and they are declined like strong adjectives. While counting, however, they remain in the masculine form. The other numbers only have one form.
  • Digits and numbers from zero to twelve are specific words: núll [0], einn [1] (feminine: ein, neutral: eitt), tveir [2] (feminine: tvær, neutral: tvö), þrír [3] (feminine: þrjár, neutral: þrjú), fjórir [4] (feminine: fjórar, neutral: fjögur), fimm [5], sex [6], sjö [7], átta [8], níu [9], tiu [10], ellefu [11], and tólf [12].
  • From thirteen to nineteen, the numbers are formed from the matching digits, adding a form of the word for ten (tán or tján) at the end: þréttán [13], fjórtán [14], fimmtán [15], sextán [16], sautján [17], átján [18], and nitján [19].
  • The tens are formed by adding the word for ten (tiu) at the end of the multiplier digit, with the exception of ten and twenty: tiu [10], tuttugu [20], þrjátíu [30], fjórutíu [40], fimmtíu [50], sextíu [60], sjötíu [70], áttatíu [80], and níutíu [90].
  • From twenty-one to ninety-nine, the tens and units are joined with the word og (and) (e.g.: þrjátíu og einn [31], þrjátíu og fimm [35]).
  • Scale numbers are nouns with a particular gender, and they usually have a plural form distinct from the singular one: hundrað [100] is neutral (hundruð in plural), þúsund [1,000] is neutral too, and invariable, miljón [million] is feminine (plural form: miljónir). Being gendered, they use the matching gender form of their multiplier if it is one to four (e.g.: tvö hundruð [200], þrjú þúsund [3,000], fjórar miljónir [4 million]).
  • The word og (and) is used only one time per number, linking the last two units independently of their scale factor, like ten and digit, or hundred and ten (e.g.: tuttugu og einn [21], fjögur hundruð og þrjátíu [430], tvö þúsund og fimm hundruð [2,500]).
  • The Islandic language uses the long scale for big numbers where the naming pattern of the scale words alternates between the -jón and -jarður suffixes: miljón (106, million), miljarður (109, billion), billjón (1012, trillion), billjarður (1015, quadrillion), trilljón (1018, quintillion)…
  • Numbers in different languages