Questions & Answers about Við tölum við skipstjórann.
Why does við appear twice in the sentence?
Because the two instances of við are doing different jobs:
- Við at the beginning = the pronoun we
- við before skipstjórann = the preposition to / with, depending on context
So even though they look identical, they are different words.
In Við tölum við skipstjórann, the structure is:
- Við = we
- tölum = talk / speak
- við skipstjórann = to the captain
This is very common in Icelandic, and native speakers are not confused by it because the grammar makes the roles clear.
What form is tölum?
Tölum is the 1st person plural present tense form of the verb að tala (to speak, to talk).
So:
- ég tala = I speak
- þú talar = you speak
- við tölum = we speak
In this sentence, tölum matches the subject við (we).
What is the dictionary form of the verb here?