gefa

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse gefa, from Proto-Germanic *gebaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰab(ʰ)-. Compare Old English giefan (“give”) (whence English give).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈcɛːva/

  Rhymes: -ɛːva

Verb

gefa (strong verb, third-person singular past indicative gaf, third-person plural past indicative gáfu, supine gefið)

1. (transitive, governs the accusative) to give something
   • Á Sprengisandi (“On Sprengisandur”) by Grímur Thomsen

     Ríðum, ríðum, rekum yfir sandinn,

     rökkrið er að síga á Herðubreið,

     álfadrottning er að beizla gandinn,

     ekki er gott að verða á hennar leið;

     vænsta klárinn vildi eg gefa til

     að vera kominn ofan í Kiðagil.

     Ride, ride, ride hard across the sands,

     darkness settles over Herðubreið.

     The Queen of the elves bridles her steed -

     be careful not to cross her path.

     My best horse I'd give

     to be safely back in Kiðagil.

2. (ditransitive, governs the dative and accusative) to give somebody something

Conjugation

gefa — active voice (germynd)

infinitive (nafnháttur)		að gefa
supine (sagnbót)		gefið
present participle (lýsingarháttur nútíðar)		gefandi
	indicative (framsöguháttur)			subjunctive (viðtengingarháttur)
present (nútíð)	ég gef	við gefum	present (nútíð)	ég gefi	við gefum
	þú gefur	þið gefið		þú gefir	þið gefið
	hann, hún, það gefur	þeir, þær, þau gefa		hann, hún, það gefi	þeir, þær, þau gefi
past (þátíð)	ég gaf	við gáfum	past (þátíð)	ég gæfi	við gæfum
	þú gafst	þið gáfuð		þú gæfir	þið gæfuð
	hann, hún, það gaf	þeir, þær, þau gáfu		hann, hún, það gæfi	þeir, þær, þau gæfu
imperative (boðháttur)	gef (þú)	gefið (þið)
	Forms with appended personal pronoun
	gefðu	gefiði *
* Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.

gefast — mediopassive voice (miðmynd)

infinitive (nafnháttur)		að gefast
supine (sagnbót)		gefist
present participle (lýsingarháttur nútíðar)		gefandist ** ** the mediopassive present participle is extremely rare and normally not used; it is never used attributively or predicatively, only for explicatory subclauses
	indicative (framsöguháttur)			subjunctive (viðtengingarháttur)
present (nútíð)	ég gefst	við gefumst	present (nútíð)	ég gefist	við gefumst
	þú gefst	þið gefist		þú gefist	þið gefist
	hann, hún, það gefst	þeir, þær, þau gefast		hann, hún, það gefist	þeir, þær, þau gefist
past (þátíð)	ég gafst	við gáfumst	past (þátíð)	ég gæfist	við gæfumst
	þú gafst	þið gáfust		þú gæfist	þið gæfust
	hann, hún, það gafst	þeir, þær, þau gáfust		hann, hún, það gæfist	þeir, þær, þau gæfust
imperative (boðháttur)	gefst (þú)	gefist (þið)
	Forms with appended personal pronoun
	gefstu	gefisti *
* Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.

gefinn — past participle (lýsingarháttur þátíðar)

strong declension (sterk beyging)	singular (eintala)				plural (fleirtala)
	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)		masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)
nominative (nefnifall)	gefinn	gefin	gefið		gefnir	gefnar	gefin
accusative (þolfall)	gefinn	gefna	gefið		gefna	gefnar	gefin
dative (þágufall)	gefnum	gefinni	gefnu		gefnum	gefnum	gefnum
genitive (eignarfall)	gefins	gefinnar	gefins		gefinna	gefinna	gefinna
weak declension (veik beyging)	singular (eintala)				plural (fleirtala)
	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)		masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)
nominative (nefnifall)	gefni	gefna	gefna		gefnu	gefnu	gefnu
accusative (þolfall)	gefna	gefnu	gefna		gefnu	gefnu	gefnu
dative (þágufall)	gefna	gefnu	gefna		gefnu	gefnu	gefnu
genitive (eignarfall)	gefna	gefnu	gefna		gefnu	gefnu	gefnu

Derived terms

Derived terms

• gefa af sér
• gefa eftir
• gefa ekkert eftir
• gefa hjón saman
• gefa í
• gefa inn
• gefandi
• gefa sig
• gefa sig fram
• gefa skepnum
• gefa spil
• gefast
• gefast upp (give up, surrender)
• gefa til baka
• gefa til kynna/gefa í skyn
• gefa undir fótinn
• gefa upp
• gefa upp á bátinn
• gefa út
• gefa við
• gemmér
• morgunstund gefur gull í mund

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *gebaną (“to give”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰab(ʰ)-. Cognate with Old English ġiefan (English give), Old Frisian jeva, Old Saxon gevan, Old Dutch gevan, Old High German geban, Gothic 𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (giban).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡevɑ/

Verb

gefa (singular past indicative gaf, plural past indicative gáfu, past participle gefinn)

1. (transitive) to give something
2. (ditransitive) to give someone something
3. gefa stað/staðar + dative: stop, cause to cease

Conjugation

Conjugation of gefa — active (strong class 5)

infinitive	gefa
present participle	gefandi
past participle	gefinn
indicative	present	past
1st-person singular	gef	gaf
2nd-person singular	gefr	gaft
3rd-person singular	gefr	gaf
1st-person plural	gefum	gáfum
2nd-person plural	gefið	gáfuð
3rd-person plural	gefa	gáfu
subjunctive	present	past
1st-person singular	gefa	gæfa
2nd-person singular	gefir	gæfir
3rd-person singular	gefi	gæfi
1st-person plural	gefim	gæfim
2nd-person plural	gefið	gæfið
3rd-person plural	gefi	gæfi
imperative	present
2nd-person singular	gef
1st-person plural	gefum
2nd-person plural	gefið

Conjugation of gefa — mediopassive (strong class 5)

infinitive	gefask
present participle	gefandisk
past participle	gefizk
indicative	present	past
1st-person singular	gefumk	gáfumk
2nd-person singular	gefsk	gafzk
3rd-person singular	gefsk	gafsk
1st-person plural	gefumsk	gáfumsk
2nd-person plural	gefizk	gáfuzk
3rd-person plural	gefask	gáfusk
subjunctive	present	past
1st-person singular	gefumk	gæfumk
2nd-person singular	gefisk	gæfisk
3rd-person singular	gefisk	gæfisk
1st-person plural	gefimsk	gæfimsk
2nd-person plural	gefizk	gæfizk
3rd-person plural	gefisk	gæfisk
imperative	present
2nd-person singular	gefsk
1st-person plural	gefumsk
2nd-person plural	gefizk

Alternative forms

• ᚴᛅᚠ (kaf) — first/third singular past indicative, Runic form
• ᚴᛅᚠᚢ (kafu) — third plural past indicative, Runic form

Descendants

• Icelandic: gefa
• Faroese: geva
• Norwegian Nynorsk: gjeva, gje, giva; (dialectal) gjåvå
• Elfdalian: djävå
• Old Swedish: giva, gæva, giffua, giffwa
  • Swedish: giva
• Danish: give
  • Norwegian Bokmål: give, gi
• Scanian: gi
  • Hallandian: ge
• Gutnish: giva, gi
• → Middle English: given (influenced by native Old English ġiefan)
  • Scots: gie, geve, gewe, gif, gyf, gefe
  • English: give

References

• “gefa”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press