hvísla

Hvísla is an Icelandic verb meaning to speak in a soft, hushed voice, typically to avoid being overheard or to convey secrecy. It describes the act of whispering rather than speaking aloud and is used in everyday speech as well as in literature and media to indicate discretion or intimacy.

Its etymology traces to Old Norse hvísla and is related to other Germanic forms for whispering. The word has remained common in modern Icelandic, retaining its core meaning across dialects.

In usage, hvísla is often combined with a prepositional phrase to indicate the listener, such as hvísla til einhvers, and with the content of what is whispered. It is a regular verb in contemporary Icelandic; present tense forms include ég hvísla, þú hvíslar, hann hvíslar, við hvíslum, þið hvíslið, þeir hvísla. The past tense is hvíslaði. The verb can be used in both informal speech and in literary narration to convey secrecy, intimacy, or discretion.

Examples: Ég hvísla til hennar. Hún hvíslaði leyndarmálinu í eyra hans. These sentences illustrate the typical use of the verb to describe whispering in a quiet, private manner.