ræða ("to discuss, talk over") is the verb you reach for when talking is deliberate — a meeting, a negotiation, a serious conversation about a topic. It is a notch more formal than everyday tala "talk, speak," and that register difference is the first thing to lock in: you talar with a friend on the bus, but a committee ræðir a proposal. It is a clean weak Class-2 (-di) verb, but its stem ends in ð, and that ð assimilates with the -di ending to give the doubled dd of the past: ræð- + di → ræddi. The supine then surfaces as rætt (the ð and d both reduce to a t-cluster). One more bonus you get for free: the noun ræða "a speech" is the same word, so once you know the verb you also know halda ræðu "give a speech." Orthography: word-initial ræ (the digraph æ), and the past is ræddi with double d, never *ræddi written raeddi and never the single-ð *ræði in the past.
Conjugation
Class: weak, Class 2 (the -di preterite). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef rætt "I have discussed." The stem is ræð-; before the -di past ending the stem-final ð fuses with the d to give dd (ræddi), and in the supine the cluster reduces to -tt (rætt).
| Principal parts | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | að ræða |
| 1sg present | ræði |
| 1sg past | ræddi |
| 3pl past | ræddu |
| Supine | rætt |
| Person | Present (nútíð) | Past (þátíð) |
|---|---|---|
| ég | ræði | ræddi |
| þú | ræðir | ræddir |
| hann / hún / það | ræðir | ræddi |
| við | ræðum | ræddum |
| þið | ræðið | rædduð |
| þeir / þær / þau | ræða | ræddu |
| Person | Present subjunctive | Past subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| ég | ræði | ræddi |
| þú | ræðir | ræddir |
| hann / hún / það | ræði | ræddi |
| við | ræðum | ræddum |
| þið | ræðið | rædduð |
| þeir / þær / þau | ræði | ræddu |
| Non-finite & imperative | |
|---|---|
| Imperative (þú) | ræddu! |
| Imperative (þið) | ræðið! |
| Supine | rætt |
| Past participle (m/f/n) | ræddur / rædd / rætt |
| Middle voice (miðmynd) | ræðast (við) — "to confer / talk with one another" |
ræða um + accusative — "discuss / talk about (a topic)"
The first of the two big patterns. ræða um + accusative means "discuss, talk about" a subject matter — a plan, a problem, the news, politics. The um points at the topic, and the topic is in the accusative. This is the structure for any sentence where English says "discuss X" or "talk about X" as a matter to be worked through.
Við þurfum að ræða þetta betur áður en við tökum ákvörðun.
We need to discuss this more before we make a decision. — ræða + accusative object (þetta); the deliberate, weigh-it-up sense.
Stjórnin ræddi um fjárhagsstöðuna á fundinum í gær.
The board discussed the financial situation at the meeting yesterday. — ræða um + accusative (fjárhagsstöðuna); formal register.
Ég vil helst ekki ræða um þetta núna.
I'd really rather not talk about this right now. — ræða um + accusative; note the topic, not a person, follows um.
Note that ræða can also take a bare accusative object without um (ræða málið "discuss the matter"), especially with a definite topic. Both ræða málið and ræða um málið are good; the bare-object version is a touch crisper and very common in writing.
ræða við + accusative — "talk to / speak with (a person)"
The second big pattern, and the one learners most often confuse with the first. ræða við + accusative means "talk to / speak with a person." Here við introduces your interlocutor, again in the accusative — ræða við einhvern "talk to someone." So the two prepositions split the labour cleanly: um points at the topic you discuss, við points at the person you discuss it with. A single sentence often uses both: ég ræddi við lækninn um niðurstöðurnar "I talked to the doctor about the results."
Ég þarf að ræða við yfirmann minn um launin.
I need to talk to my boss about my salary. — ræða við (person, accusative yfirmann) + um (topic, accusative launin) in one sentence.
Geturðu rætt við hana eftir fundinn?
Could you have a word with her after the meeting? — here 'rætt' is the supine after 'geta' (geta + supine): ræða við + accusative (hana).
Forsætisráðherra ræddi við blaðamenn að loknum fundi.
The prime minister spoke with journalists after the meeting. — ræða við + accusative (blaðamenn); newspaper register.
ræðast við — "confer, talk things over together"
The middle voice ræðast við (literally "talk-to-each-other") is reciprocal: two or more parties confer — each talks to the other. It is the natural verb for negotiations, consultations, and any "let's sit down and talk this through together" situation.
Deiluaðilar ætla að ræðast við á morgun.
The parties to the dispute are going to confer tomorrow. — middle ræðast við = talk things over with one another (reciprocal).
The noun ræða — "a speech" (halda ræðu)
Because the verb and the noun are the same word, you get the noun ræða (f.) "a speech, an address" at no extra cost. The fixed collocation is halda ræðu "to give / make a speech" (literally "hold a speech") — note the noun goes into the accusative ræðu. This is the standard phrase for a speech at a wedding, a conference, or parliament.
Hann hélt fallega ræðu í brúðkaupinu.
He gave a lovely speech at the wedding. — the noun ræða 'speech' in the fixed phrase halda ræðu (accusative ræðu).
Common Mistakes
❌ Við ræðaðum þetta á fundinum.
Incorrect — ræða is a -di verb, not -aði; the past plural is 'ræddum', never a regularised 'ræðaðum'.
✅ Við ræddum þetta á fundinum.
We discussed this at the meeting.
ræða is weak Class 2: the past is built on -di, and the stem-final ð fuses to give rædd- (ræddi, ræddum, ræddu). There is no -aði form.
❌ Ég ræddi um lækninn um niðurstöðurnar.
Wrong preposition for the person — you talk TO a person with 'við', not 'um'; 'um' is only for the topic.
✅ Ég ræddi við lækninn um niðurstöðurnar.
I talked to the doctor about the results.
The split is the heart of the verb: við for the person you talk to, um for the topic you discuss. Using um for a person says you "discussed the doctor" as a subject.
❌ Forsetinn talaði ræðu á þinginu.
Wrong verb for 'give a speech' — you 'hold' a speech: halda ræðu, not tala ræðu.
✅ Forsetinn hélt ræðu á þinginu.
The president gave a speech at the assembly.
The fixed collocation is halda ræðu "hold/give a speech." tala does not take ræða as an object.
❌ Höfum við rætt þetta núna?
Fine as a perfect — but if you mean a single past event 'did we discuss', the simple past is 'Ræddum við þetta?'; don't confuse supine 'rætt' with the finite past 'ræddi/ræddum'.
✅ Höfum við rætt þetta? / Ræddum við þetta?
Have we discussed this? / Did we discuss this?
The supine is rætt (used after hafa: höfum við rætt); the finite past is ræddi / ræddum. Keep the two apart — the supine never stands alone as a tensed verb.
Key Takeaways
- ræði / ræðir / ræddi / rætt — a weak Class-2 (-di) verb; the stem-final ð fuses with the ending to give the past ræddi and participle ræddur / rædd / rætt.
- ræða um
- accusative = "discuss / talk about" a topic (ræða um málin); a bare accusative object also works (ræða málið).
- ræða við
- accusative = "talk to / speak with" a person (ræða við lækninn). One sentence often uses both: ræða við X um Y.
- The middle ræðast við = "confer, talk things over together" (reciprocal).
- The noun ræða "a speech" comes free: halda ræðu "give a speech." Register: ræða (deliberate, formal-ish) vs everyday tala "talk." Auxiliary is hafa: ég hef rætt.
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