því

See also: yvi

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse því, possibly from the instrumental interrogative Proto-Germanic *hwī (“how, with what”), with the initial h- replaced by the þ- from the forms of *sa.

Conjunction

því

1. because, for, since
   • Colossians 3:9

     Ljúgið ekki hver að öðrum, því þér hafið afklæðst hinum gamla manni með gjörðum hans.

     Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices.

Derived terms

• af því að, því að (“because”)
• því aðeins að (“only if, on the condition that”)

Pronoun

því

1. (personal) dative singular of það

Declension

  Icelandic personal pronouns

Icelandic personal pronouns
singular	first person	second person	third person masculine	third person feminine	third person neuter
nominative	ég, eg†, ek†	þú	hann	hún, hon†, hón†	það, þat†
accusative	mig, mik†	þig, þik†	hann	hana	það, þat†
dative	mér	þér	honum, hánum†	henni	því
genitive	mín	þín	hans	hennar	þess
plural	first person	second person	third person masculine	third person feminine	third person neuter
nominative	við	þið, þit†	þeir	þær	þau
accusative	okkur	ykkur	þá	þær	þau
dative	okkur	ykkur	þeim	þeim	þeim
genitive	okkar	ykkar	þeirra	þeirra	þeirra

Adverb

því...því

1. the...the (when comparing)

   en því meira sem hann blés, því þéttara vafði ferðamaðurinn kápunni að sér

   but the more he blew, the tighter the traveller wrapped his coat around himself

Derived terms

• því miður

Old Norse

Etymology

Possibly from the instrumental interrogative Proto-Germanic *hwī (“how, with what”), with the initial h- replaced by the þ- from the forms of *sa (“that”). Compare Old English þȳ (“by that; therefore; because; since”, instrumental case of þæt). More at the.

Pronoun

því

1. dative singular of þat

Declension

Old Norse personal pronouns

number	first person	second person	reflexive	third person
case	singular			singular masculine	singular feminine	singular neuter
nominative	ek	þú		hann	hón, hǫ́n	þat
accusative	mik	þik	sik	hann	hana, hána	þat
dative	mér	þér	sér	hánum, hónum, hǫ́num	henni	því
genitive	mín	þín	sín	hans	hennar	þess
case	dual
nominative	vit	it, þit
accusative	okkr	ykkr	sik
dative	okkr	ykkr	sér
genitive	okkar	ykkar	sín
case	plural			plural masculine	plural feminine	plural neuter
nominative	vér	ér, þér		þeir	þær	þau
accusative	oss	yðr	sik	þá	þær	þau
dative	oss	yðr	sér	þeim	þeim	þeim
genitive	vár	yðar, yðvar	sín	þeira, þeirra	þeira, þeirra	þeira, þeirra

Old Norse demonstrative pronouns

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	sá	sú	þat
accusative	þann	þá	þat
dative	þeim	þeirri	því, þí
genitive	þess	þeirrar	þess
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	þeir	þær	þau
accusative	þá	þær	þau
dative	þeim	þeim	þeim
genitive	þeira, þeirra	þeira, þeirra	þeira, þeirra

Descendants

• Icelandic: því
• Faroese: tí
• Norwegian: di (dialectal)
• Old Swedish: þȳ
  • Swedish: ty (obsolete)

Adverb

því (not comparable)

1. therefore, for that reason

Descendants

• Icelandic: því
• Faroese: tí
• Norwegian: di, fordi, difor
• Old Swedish: þȳ, thy
  • Swedish: ty, dy- (dylik)
• Danish: thi, fordi