Beygingarflokka

Beygingarflokka, or inflection classes, are a central concept in Icelandic grammar. They refer to groups of words that share predictable patterns of inflection and thus behave similarly when forming different grammatical forms. The term is widely used in grammars and dictionaries. By assigning a word to a beygingarflokkur, grammarians can predict its endings for number, case, tense and mood.

In nouns, beygingarflokkar describe how a noun changes across cases and numbers depending on gender and the noun’s stem. Icelandic nouns decline in four cases (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive) and numbers, and definiteness interacts with inflection. Noun classes are commonly described as strong or weak declensions, among other patterns, with historical roots in Old Norse.

Adjectives are also organized into beygingarflokkar. They inflect to agree with the noun in gender, number and case, and their endings vary according to whether the noun is definite or indefinite and according to the adjective’s own class. This results in a system of strong, weak, or mixed inflection patterns that learners must master.

Verbs are divided into beygingarflokkar as well. Each conjugation class provides the standard endings for present tense, past tense and participles, and may involve stem changes (ablaut) or vowel alternations. Irregular verbs often belong to their own divergent classes.

Overall, beygingarflokka provide a compact way to describe Icelandic morphology, aiding description, pedagogy, and linguistic analysis. Modern Icelandic continues to be organized around these classes, even as usage evolves and irregular forms persist.