Við ræðum alla möguleika.

Word by word:

• Við = we
• ræðum = discuss, are discussing, or sometimes talk about
• alla = all
• möguleika = possibilities or options

So the whole sentence means We discuss all possibilities or We are discussing all options, depending on context.

Ræða is the infinitive, meaning to discuss.

In the sentence, the verb has to agree with the subject við = we, so it changes form:

• ég ræði = I discuss
• þú ræðir = you discuss
• við ræðum = we discuss

So ræðum is the 1st person plural present tense form: we discuss.

Because ræða takes a direct object, and that object is usually in the accusative case.

Here, möguleikar = possibilities is the thing being discussed, so it has to be in the accusative plural:

• nominative plural: möguleikar
• accusative plural: möguleika

The adjective allur = all must match the noun in case, number, and gender, so it also changes:

• nominative plural masculine: allir
• accusative plural masculine: alla

That is why the sentence has alla möguleika.

You usually learn Icelandic nouns together with their gender. Möguleiki is a masculine noun.

That matters because adjectives and articles must agree with it.

A few useful forms:

• singular nominative: möguleiki
• singular accusative: möguleika
• plural nominative: möguleikar
• plural accusative: möguleika

Since the sentence uses possibilities as a direct object, we get möguleika.

Because alla is the form of allur that matches:

• masculine
• plural
• accusative

It agrees with möguleika.

Compare:

• allir möguleikar = all possibilities, as the subject
• alla möguleika = all possibilities, as the object

This kind of adjective agreement is very important in Icelandic.

Not here.

Alla möguleika usually means all possibilities or all options, without the.

Icelandic often adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word. For example:

• möguleikarnir = the possibilities

So:

• alla möguleika = all possibilities
• alla möguleikana = all the possibilities

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things.

Yes. Ræðum is present tense.

In Icelandic, the simple present often covers both:

• we discuss
• we are discussing

So Við ræðum alla möguleika can mean either a general statement or something happening now, depending on context.

If you want to make the ongoing meaning extra clear, Icelandic can also use:

• Við erum að ræða alla möguleika = We are discussing all possibilities

But the simple present is very common.

Yes. That is completely natural.

The difference is roughly:

• Við ræðum alla möguleika = neutral present; can mean we discuss or we are discussing
• Við erum að ræða alla möguleika = more explicitly we are in the process of discussing all possibilities

Learners often overuse the vera að + infinitive pattern because it looks like English be + -ing. In Icelandic, the simple present is often enough.

This sentence uses a very common basic order:

• Við = subject
• ræðum = verb
• alla möguleika = object

So the pattern is subject + verb + object.

However, Icelandic is a verb-second language, so if you move something else to the front, the verb still usually stays in second position:

• Núna ræðum við alla möguleika = Now we are discussing all possibilities

Notice that ræðum still comes second.

A rough guide for English speakers:

• Við sounds somewhat like vith or vithh, with ð like the th in this
• ræðum starts with r and the æ is somewhat like the vowel in my or eye, though not exactly
• alla sounds roughly like aht-la
• möguleika is roughly MER-gu-lay-ka or MUR-gu-lay-ka, depending on accent and how broad the approximation is

A few pronunciation notes:

• ð is usually a soft voiced th sound
• æ does not sound like English a in cat
• Icelandic ll can have a special pronunciation in many words, often not like a simple English l
• Stress is usually on the first syllable

A perfect pronunciation guide really works best with audio, but these pointers help.

Yes. Við can also mean with, but that is a different word grammatically.

For example:

• við = we as a pronoun
• við = with, as a preposition in some expressions

In Við ræðum alla möguleika, it clearly means we because it is the subject of the sentence.

This is a common thing in Icelandic: the same spelling can belong to different words, and the sentence structure tells you which one it is.

Yes. Depending on context, möguleiki can be translated as:

• possibility
• option
• sometimes choice in a looser sense

So Við ræðum alla möguleika could naturally be understood as:

• We discuss all possibilities
• We discuss all options

The best English translation depends on the situation.

A good pattern to remember is:

Við + present tense verb + accusative object

For example:

• Við lesum bókina = We read the book
• Við kaupum bílinn = We buy the car
• Við ræðum málið = We discuss the matter

With adjectives, remember that they must match the noun:

• alla möguleika
• nýja bíla
• góða vini

So the two big things to watch are:

1. the verb form for við
2. the correct case and adjective agreement for the object