Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Við borðum á veitingastað í kvöld.

borðum is the present tense, first person plural form of borða (“to eat”). Icelandic verbs change their endings according to person and number. For borða, the present tense is: • ég borða (I eat)
• þú borðar (you eat)
• hann/hún borðar (he/she eats)
• við borðum (we eat)
• þið borðið (you all eat)
• þeir/þær/þau borða (they eat)

Why is there no indefinite article before veitingastað?

Icelandic does not have an indefinite article (a/an). The bare noun veitingastaður simply means “(a) restaurant.” To say “the restaurant,” you add the definite suffix: veitingastaðurinn.

Why is á used in á veitingastað instead of í?

Some Icelandic place‐names and venues take á (e.g. á hótel, á veitingastað, á bakarí), while others take í (e.g. í skóla, í kirkju). It’s largely lexical—each noun tends to go with one or the other, and you learn them as set phrases.

What case is veitingastað in after á, and how can I recognize it?

The preposition á can govern accusative (movement toward) or dative (location). Here it indicates location (“at the restaurant”), so veitingastaður is in the dative singular. In the singular, both dative and accusative forms of veitingastaður are veitingastað, so you rely on meaning (we’re eating there, not moving toward it) to know it’s dative.

What does í kvöld mean and what case is kvöld in?

í kvöld literally means “in the evening” but is used idiomatically for “tonight.” In time expressions with í, the noun stays in the accusative (or base) form. kvöld is a neuter noun whose nominative and accusative forms are both kvöld, so you see no change.

Can I move í kvöld to the front of the sentence?

Yes. Icelandic word order is fairly flexible. Placing the time phrase first (topicalization) is common for emphasis: Í kvöld borðum við á veitingastað.

Does Icelandic distinguish between “we eat” and “we are eating” like English does?

No. Icelandic uses one present tense for both habitual/simple present and progressive/ongoing actions. Context or time‐words (like í kvöld) tell you if it’s a regular meal or a plan for tonight.

Is it okay to drop Við since the verb ending shows the subject?

Yes. Icelandic often omits subject pronouns when the verb ending makes person and number clear. So you can say: Borðum á veitingastað í kvöld and it still means “We’re eating at a restaurant tonight.”