fjórir

Icelandic

**Icelandic cardinal numbers**
< 3	4	5 >
Cardinal : fjórir Ordinal : fjórði

Etymology

From Old Norse fjórir, from Proto-Germanic *fedwōr.^[1] Cognates include Faroese fýra and Danish fire.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈfjouːrɪr/

Numeral

fjórir (feminine fjórar, neuter fjögur)

four
Þar sátu fjórir menn. ― Four men were sitting there.

Hún er fjögurra. ― She is four years old.

Usage notes

When counting out loud, the contraction fjór is frequently used.
Einn, tveir, þrír, fjór. ― One, two, three, four.

Declension

declension of fjórir

	masculine	feminine	neuter
	plural
nominative	fjórir	fjórar	fjögur
accusative	fjóra	fjórar	fjögur
dative	fjórum	fjórum	fjórum
genitive	fjögurra, fjögra	fjögurra, fjögra	fjögurra, fjögra

The genitive fjögra is common in speech, but fjögurra is preferred in writing. A recent alternative genitive form, fjagra, is very widespread in spoken language, but is only occasionally used in writing.

Derived terms

References

^ Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon — Íslensk orðsifjabók, 1st edition, 2nd printing (1989). Reykjavík, Orðabók Háskólans, page 181. (Available on Málið.is under the “Eldra mál” tab.)

Old Norse

**Old Norse numbers ^(edit)**
	40^{[a], [b]}
← 3	4	5 →
Cardinal: fjórir Ordinal: fjórði Multiplier: ferfaldr, fjórfaldr Distributive: fern

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *fedwōr, from *kʷetwṓr, the neuter form of Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres. The elder form with -ð- is still visible in the name of Fjaðryndaland (Old Swedish Fiæþrundaland). This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term. What elder form with -ð-?

Numeral

fjórir

(cardinal number) four
fjögurra vegna — to the four cardinal points

Declension

Declension of fjórir

plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fjórir	fjórar	fjǫgur
accusative	fjóra	fjórar	fjǫgur
dative	fjórum, fjǫgurum	fjórum, fjǫgurum	fjórum, fjǫgurum
genitive	fjǫgurra	fjǫgurra	fjǫgurra

Descendants

Icelandic: fjórir
Faroese: fýra
Norn: fyre
Norwegian Nynorsk: fjore (archaic, Høgnorsk)
Elfdalian: fyra
Old Swedish: fiūrir, fiūri, fȳrir, fȳri
- Swedish: fyra
Old Danish: fiūræ, fiūghræ, fȳræ, firæ
- Danish: fire
  - Norwegian Bokmål: fire
    - → Norwegian Nynorsk: fire

References

Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic‎^[1], Oxford: Clarendon Press

[1] Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon — Íslensk orðsifjabók, 1st edition, 2nd printing (1989). Reykjavík, Orðabók Háskólans, page 181. (Available on Málið.is under the “Eldra mál” tab.)

[1]