ég

Ég is the Icelandic first-person singular nominative pronoun meaning "I." It functions as the subject of a finite verb and is the direct equivalent of English I. In normal sentences the verb ending often marks the subject, so ég can be omitted for emphasis or rhetorical effect, or used to contrast the speaker with someone else. For example, in Ég veit það, the subject is explicitly stated for emphasis.

Morphology and forms: The corresponding object forms are mig (accusative) and mér (dative). Icelandic pronouns are declined for case, so ég is used for the subject position while mig and mér appear in object positions. The pronoun does not vary for gender, number, or person beyond these case forms.

Usage and nuance: Ég is common in both spoken and written Icelandic. It is frequently used to emphasize the speaker or to contrast with another subject, as in contrastive statements or questions. In many contexts the verb form alone already signals the subject, but ég remains the standard independent pronoun and appears at the beginning of sentences or after a question word when clarity or emphasis is desired.

Etymology: Ég derives from the same Proto-Germanic root as ek in Old Norse and is cognate with the English I, the German ich, and the Dutch ik. This reflects the shared ancestry of the first-person pronoun across Germanic languages and its evolution in Icelandic.

Orthography and pronunciation: The word is written with an acute accent on the e (é) and a single final g. It is typically a single, vowel-consonant syllable in Icelandic phonology. The exact pronunciation can vary with dialect and speaker, but it is recognized immediately as the Icelandic first-person pronoun.