Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Icelandic grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Nemendur safnast saman núna.
What type of verb is safnast saman and how would you translate it?
safnast saman is a middle‐voice (intransitive) verb phrase built on að safnast saman, literally “to gather oneself together.” In natural English you’d translate it as “to assemble,” “to get together” or “to gather.”
How do you conjugate að safnast saman in the present tense?
Infinitive: að safnast saman
Present:
- ég safnast saman
- þú safnast saman
- hann/hún/það safnast saman
- við safnum saman
- þið safnið saman
- þeir/þær/þau safnast saman
So in our sentence Nemendur safnast saman, “safnast” is 3rd person plural present.
Why is saman used separately and what role does it play?
saman is an adverb (not a preposition) that completes the meaning of safnast. It emphasizes the action of “coming together.” In Icelandic, such adverbs typically follow the finite verb: safnast saman, flokkast saman, hittast saman, etc.
What case is nemendur in, and why isn’t there a suffix for “the”?
nemendur is in the nominative plural (subject form). Icelandic marks the definite article as a suffix:
- indefinite “students” = nemendur
- definite “the students” = nemendurnir
Here the sentence is indefinite (“students are gathering”), so no –nir ending appears.
Why is núna at the end of the sentence, and could you move it?
Icelandic follows a V2 (verb-second) word order: the finite verb (safnast) occupies position two after the first constituent (Nemendur). The rest—saman and núna—is more flexible, but putting núna at the end is most natural:
“Nemendur safnast saman núna.”
You could also say “Nemendur safnast núna saman,” but it’s less common and subtly shifts emphasis.
What’s the difference between nú and núna?
Both mean “now,” but:
- nú is shorter and more formal/literary.
- núna is colloquial and slightly more emphatic (“right now”).
Can you use að safna saman instead of að safnast saman here?
No, not for people.
- að safna saman (active) means “to collect things/items together.”
- að safnast saman (middle-voice) means “to assemble” or “to gather” (usually people).
So students “safnast saman,” they gather themselves.
How would you pronounce Nemendur safnast saman núna.?
Approximate phonetic spelling in English:
NEH-men-dur SAF-nast SAH-man NOO-na
IPA (broad): /ˈnɛːmɛn̥tʏr ˈsafnast ˈsamːan ˈnuːna/