Við affermum flutningabílinn.

Affermum is the 1st person plural present tense form of the verb afferma.

So:

• afferma = the dictionary form, to unload
• affermum = we unload / we are unloading

Icelandic often builds this information into the verb itself, so one word tells you both the action and who is doing it.

It can mean either one, depending on context.

Icelandic present tense often covers both:

• we unload
• we are unloading

Unlike English, Icelandic does not always need a separate progressive form like are unloading. The simple present form can do that job.

Yes. In this sentence, Við means we.

That can be confusing because við can also be a preposition in other sentences, with meanings like with, at, by, or against, depending on context.

Here, though, it is clearly the subject pronoun:

• Við = we

Because Icelandic usually puts the definite article onto the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

So:

• flutningabíll = a truck / transport truck
• flutningabílinn = the truck

The ending -inn is the definite article here.

Because this noun is the direct object of the verb, so it is in the accusative singular.

The noun changes form by case:

• flutningabíll = nominative singular indefinite
• flutningabíllinn = nominative singular definite
• flutningabíl = accusative singular indefinite
• flutningabílinn = accusative singular definite

Since we are doing something to the truck, the truck is the object, so Icelandic uses the accusative form flutningabílinn.

It is accusative singular definite.

Why?

• The verb afferma takes a direct object.
• The thing being unloaded is the truck.
• Direct objects are often in the accusative in Icelandic.

So flutningabílinn is accusative because it is the object of affermum.

Yes. Icelandic very often uses compound nouns, and this is one of them.

Here the noun is built from:

• flutningur = transport, moving, shipment
• bíll = car, truck, vehicle

So flutningabíll is a compound noun meaning something like transport truck, delivery truck, or moving truck, depending on context.

This kind of long one-word compound is completely normal in Icelandic.

They are:

• við = we
• afferma = to unload
• flutningabíll = transport truck / moving truck / delivery truck

When you look words up in a dictionary, you usually need these base forms, not the exact inflected forms used in the sentence.

This sentence uses the normal straightforward order:

• Við = subject
• affermum = verb
• flutningabílinn = object

So it is Subject–Verb–Object.

That said, Icelandic word order is somewhat flexible. In main clauses, Icelandic often follows a verb-second pattern, which means the finite verb tends to stay in the second position.

So this sentence is the most neutral way to say it, but other word orders can appear for emphasis or style.

Usually, no. In normal modern Icelandic, you normally keep the subject pronoun.

Even though affermum already shows 1st person plural, Icelandic is not like Spanish or Italian, where subject pronouns are often dropped.

So the natural full sentence is:

• Við affermum flutningabílinn.

You can tell from a combination of word order and case/form.

• Við is the subject pronoun: we
• affermum is the verb
• flutningabílinn is the object, shown by its accusative form

So the sentence means that we are doing the unloading, and the truck is the thing affected by the action.

That is why this cannot mean that the truck unloads us.