ímynda

ímynda is an Icelandic verb meaning to imagine, to picture in the mind, or to conjure up. It is used to describe forming mental images, scenarios, or plans rather than producing something physically. The sense can range from everyday imagining to more deliberate creation of possibilities.

Common usage centers on mental visualization and planning. A typical construction is ég ímynda mér eitthvað, meaning “I imagine something for myself.” Examples include að ímynda sér framtíðina (to imagine the future) or að ímynda sér aðstæður (to picture a situation). In some contexts ímynda can also imply pretending or presenting something as real, as in fabricating a story or feigning a condition, depending on tone and context.

Relationships to related words: the verb is closely linked to the noun ímynd, meaning image or mental picture, and to mynda, meaning to form or to create. The combined family covers the spectrum from forming something outwardly (mynda) to forming it inwardly or conceptually (ímynda). Etymologically, the forms reflect Icelandic roots in the same lexical field as imagining and image-making, and they are common in both everyday language and literary usage.

See also: ímynd, mynda, imagining in Icelandic literature and discourse.