This is a list of the 20 most common verbs in advertisements (in
English), translated into Icelandic. The list is from:
http://www.med.sc.edu:1081/Most%20Common%20Adj%20Verbs.htm
These should be useful verbs to know if you're reading a newspaper.
1. make - gera, smíða
2. get - fá
3. give - gefa
4. have - hafa, eiga
5. see - sjá
6. buy - kaupa
7. come - koma
8. go - fara
9. know - vita, þekkja
10. keep - halda
11. look - líta
12. need - þurfa
13. love - elska
14. use - nota
15. feel - finna
16. like - líka
17. choose - velja, kjósa
18. take - taka
19. start - byrja
20. taste - bragða, smakka
Notes:
1. Smíða means 'make' in the sense of 'build' or
'construct,' while 'gera' means 'make' or 'do.'
4. Eiga is used to denote possession, e.g. Hún á
stórt hús 'She has a big house' or Við eigum tvö
börn 'We have two children.' So eiga is more like English
'own,' while hafa has most of the other connotations that English
'have' does. Eiga can also mean 'must' or 'have to,' e.g. Á
ég að fara? 'Must I go?'
9. Like many languages, Icelandic distinguishes between 'to know facts' (vita) and 'to know a person' (þekkja).
Eiga is very irregular. Here is its conjugation:
| Pres. Ind. | Pres. Subj. | Pret. Ind. | Pret. Subj. | |
| ég
þú það við þið þeir |
á
átt á eigum eigið eiga |
eigi
eigir eigi eigum eigið eigi |
átti
áttir átti áttum áttuð áttu |
ætti
ættir ætti ættum ættuð ættu |
Jon