Question 1

What is the function of Við in this sentence? Can I drop it?

Accepted Answer

Við is the 1st-person plural pronoun meaning we, and it serves as the explicit subject of borðum. In Icelandic, you can often drop the subject pronoun because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action. So Borðum kvöldmat í borðstofunni still means “We eat dinner in the dining room,” but adding Við gives extra clarity or emphasis.

Question 2

What does borðum mean, and how is að borða conjugated in the present tense?

Accepted Answer

Borðum is the 1st-person plural present tense of the verb að borða (“to eat”). The present-tense forms of this weak verb are:
• ég borða  
• þú borðar  
• hann/það borðar  
• við borðum  
• þið borðið  
• þeir/þær/þau borða

Question 3

Why is it kvöldmat here instead of kvöldmatur?

Accepted Answer

Kvöldmatur is the nominative (dictionary) form ending in -ur. As the direct object, it must be in the accusative singular. For this masculine u-stem noun, the indefinite accusative ending is -mat. Hence kvöldmat means “dinner” in the sense of “(some) dinner” without the definite article.

Question 4

Why does borðstofunni end in -unni, and which case is that?

Accepted Answer

With the preposition í indicating a static location (“in”), Icelandic uses the dative case. Borðstofa is a feminine noun whose dative singular definite form is borðstofunni. That ending combines the definite article -in(n) with the dative marker -ni, yielding -unni.

Question 5

How would I say “in a dining room” instead of “in the dining room”?

Accepted Answer

Use the indefinite dative singular of borðstofa, which is borðstofu. So:
“Við borðum kvöldmat í borðstofu.”  
That means “We eat dinner in a (any) dining room.”

Question 6

How can I express the progressive “we are eating dinner in the dining room”?

Accepted Answer

Icelandic uses vera + að + infinitive for continuous aspect. You’d say:  
“Við erum að borða kvöldmat í borðstofunni.”  
Literally, “We are at eating dinner in the dining room.”

Question 7

How do I say “we will eat dinner in the dining room”?

Accepted Answer

Use the future auxiliary munu/m plus the infinitive:
“Við munum borða kvöldmat í borðstofunni.”  
(1st person pl. takes munum.) You can also use the simple present with a time adverb if context is clear, e.g. “Við borðum kvöldmat í borðstofunni á morgun.”

Við borðum kvöldmat í borðstofunni.

Breakdown of Við borðum kvöldmat í borðstofunni.

Questions & Answers about Við borðum kvöldmat í borðstofunni.

More from this lesson

Master Icelandic — from Við borðum kvöldmat í borðstofunni to fluency