ég
[jɛɣ]
The Icelandic word for "i" is ég. Wiktionary also lists eg.
Meaning: personal pronoun (pron)
Ways to say it
| Icelandic | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ég | [jɛɣ] (narrow) [ˈjɛːɣ] (narrow) |
|
| eg | archaic, poetic |
The word is a personal pronoun (pron).
Which one should you use?
The form eg is an archaic or poetic variant of the standard ég.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using this pronoun, note that it changes based on grammatical case: the accusative form is mig and the dative form is mér.
Did you know?
- Icelandic ég shares the same deep Proto-Indo-European root as the Latin word ego, which is where the English word 'ego' comes from.
- The word ég is a direct descendant of the Proto-Norse word ek, which appears in runic inscriptions dating back to at least the 3rd century.
- While ég is the standard word for 'I', Icelandic allows the speaker to drop the pronoun entirely in many sentences because the verb ending often indicates who is speaking.
Examples in context
- Ég er á kúr.I am on a diet.This sentence shows how to use ég to describe a personal state.Tatoeba #10979586 by nipbud, translation #9030599 by Amastan
- Ég var að æla.I just vomited.This sentence shows how to use ég to describe a recent action.Tatoeba #4171540 by lifind, translation #4165864 by Lepotdeterre
- Ég rak hnéið í.I scraped my knee.This sentence shows how to use ég to describe an injury.Tatoeba #3799372 by arnarsmata, translation #3732791 by CK
- Eg er að fara í bókasafniðI am going to the library
- Ég er búinn/búin að læra þetta í skólanumI have learned this in school
- Ég og vinur minnMe and my friend
- Mig langar að fá þettaI want this
- 1852 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ólafur and Guðrún are meeting for coffee.
- ÓlafurSæll, ég heiti Ólafur.Hi, I am called Ólafur.
- GuðrúnSæl, ég heiti Guðrún.Hi, I am called Guðrún.
- ÓlafurÉg er glaður að kynnast þér.I am glad to meet you.
- GuðrúnÉg líka!I am too!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “i” translations and entries ég, eg, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries eg, ég, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
