þennan

þennan is an Icelandic demonstrative form meaning “this” in the accusative masculine singular. It is used to refer to a noun that is near the speaker or being emphasized in the discourse. In sentences, it commonly precedes the noun, as in Ég sá þennan mann, meaning I saw this man. The form functions both attributively (before the noun) and pronominally (standing in for a noun in the accusative).

Etymology and grammar: þennan is part of the system of demonstratives in Icelandic, tracing back to older forms in the West Nordic and Proto-Germanic family. In Icelandic, demonstratives decline for case, number, and gender, so the form changes to match the masculine accusative singular when the noun is masculine and in the accusative. The language distinguishes several demonstrative forms to encode proximity and definiteness, and þennan represents the proximal, definite reference in the accusative masculine singular.

Usage notes: Modern Icelandic uses þennan to refer to nearby masculine nouns in the accusative. It coexists with other demonstratives that mark different degrees of distance or definiteness, and it is one of the standard ways to say “this” in contexts like pointing or specifying a particular item. Variants of the word may appear in historical texts or regional speech due to orthographic or dialectal variation, butþennan remains the conventional form in contemporary standard Icelandic for the described role. See also other demonstratives in Icelandic for the full set of near, far, and definite references.