Question 1

What role does við play in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Við is the 1st-person plural pronoun “we,” functioning as the subject. Icelandic is a Subject-Verb-Object language, so við + spurðum = “we asked.”

Question 2

What does spurðum mean, and how is it formed?

Accepted Answer

spurðum is the past-tense (preterite) 1st-person plural of the verb spyrja (“to ask”). Formation:
 - Root: spyrj-  
 - Vowel change for past: y → u  
 - 1pl ending: ‑ðum  
Together: spurðum = “we asked.”

Question 3

Why is the preposition um used here, and what case does it take?

Accepted Answer

The verb spyrja (to ask) takes um when you inquire about something. um always governs the accusative, so you get um verðið (“about the price”).

Question 4

Why is the word verðið definite, and what does the -ið ending indicate?

Accepted Answer

In Icelandic, definiteness is marked by a suffix on the noun:
 - verð = “price” (indefinite)  
 - verðið = “the price” (definite)  
Because verð is a neuter noun, its definite singular ending is -ið.

Question 5

Why are there two prepositions (um and á) in a row?

Accepted Answer

They serve different roles:
 1. um + accusative = “about” → um verðið (“about the price”)  
 2. á + dative = “on/at” in a locative or descriptive sense → á kökunni (“on the cake,” idiomatically “of the cake”)  
So um verðið á kökunni = “about the price of the cake.”

Question 6

Why is kökuni in the dative case, and why does it end in -nni?

Accepted Answer

The preposition á here indicates a static relationship (“on the cake”), which selects the dative.  
Kaka is a feminine noun. Its dative definite singular is formed by adding -nni to the stem:
 - Stem of kaka in oblique cases: köku-  
 - Dative definite: kökunni = “(on) the cake.”

Question 7

Could we have expressed “price of the cake” using genitive instead of á + dative?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can say verð kökunnar, where kökunnar is the genitive definite of kaka. Both mean “price of the cake,” but  
 - verð kökunnar (noun + genitive)  
 - verðið á kökunni (definite noun + á + dative)  
The á + dative construction is very common with prices and measurements.

Question 8

Is it possible to drop við since the verb spurðum already signals “we”?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Icelandic verbs encode person and number, so you can omit the subject pronoun if context is clear:
 - (Við) spurðum um verðið á kökunni.  
Including við just adds emphasis or clarity.

Question 9

Could you say um kökunnar verð instead of um verðið á kökunni?

Accepted Answer

Not quite. If you want a genitive construction with um, you’d say um verð kökunnar (“about the price of the cake”).  
um kökunnar verð is unidiomatic because in Icelandic the head noun of a prepositional object normally comes immediately after the preposition.

Question 10

What is the word order in Við spurðum um verðið á kökunni, and can it change?

Accepted Answer

Basic word order is Subject–Verb–Object/Prepositional Object:
 1. Við (subject)  
 2. spurðum (verb)  
 3. um verðið á kökunni (prepositional phrase = object)  
Icelandic allows some flexibility, but moving um or splitting verðið á kökunni would sound awkward or change emphasis.

Við spurðum um verðið á kökunni.

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