Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Skulum við bæði fara núna og panta borð.

As a question: Skulum við fara…? = “Shall we go…?”
As a proposal/decision: Skulum fara… = “Let’s go…” In your sentence with a period, it reads like “Let’s…”. With a question mark, it becomes “Shall we…?”

Why are fara and panta in the bare infinitive, and why is there no að (“to”)?

After modal verbs such as skulu, Icelandic uses the bare infinitive: skulum fara, not skulum að fara. When two verbs are coordinated, both stay bare: fara og panta. If you use a different verb that governs að, you include it: Eigum við að fara og panta borð?

What does við bæði mean, and is it necessary?

Við bæði means “we both/the two of us.” It’s optional; við alone already means “we,” but bæði emphasizes that it’s exactly two people (and not others).

I’ve seen báðir/báðar/bæði. Which one should I use with við?

við báðir = we both (two men or traditionally mixed/unspecified, but see next point)
við báðar = we both (two women)
við bæði = we both (neuter/plural; commonly used as a gender‑neutral option with við) All three occur; við bæði is a safe, neutral choice when gender is not specified. Another neutral option is við tvö (“we two”).

Where does bæði go in the sentence?

Put it right after the pronoun: við bæði. That’s the most natural spot. You can move other elements for emphasis, for example:

Núna skulum við bæði fara og panta borð. Avoid placing bæði in a way that makes it look like it’s modifying the verbs rather than the pronoun.

Is the correlative bæði … og … (“both … and …”) being used here?

No. Here bæði modifies við (“we both”), while og simply links the two actions (fara and panta). You don’t need the correlative to link these verbs; fara og panta is normal.

Why is there no “a” before borð? Should it be borðið?

Icelandic has no indefinite article, so borð stands for “a table.” The definite form is borðið (“the table”). So:

panta borð = book a table
panta borðið = book the table

What case is borð in?

Accusative singular as the direct object of panta. Neuter nouns like borð look the same in nominative and accusative singular, so it remains borð in both.

Can I drop við and just say Skulum fara…?

Yes. Skulum fara núna og panta borð is perfectly fine. The verb form skulum already shows “we.” Including við is very common in questions (Skulum við…?) and also acceptable in statements.

Could I say Förum núna og pöntum borð instead?

Yes. That’s the 1st‑person plural imperative/jussive: Förum… og pöntum… (“Let’s go… and let’s book…”). It sounds a bit more direct/decisive than Skulum (við)…, which feels like a suggestion.

What’s the nuance of núna compared with nú or strax?

núna = “now (right at this time),” neutral and common.
nú = also “now,” but can act as a discourse particle; sometimes a touch more formal or rhetorical depending on context.
strax = “right away/immediately,” stronger than núna. You can also front it for emphasis: Núna skulum við bæði…

Any pronunciation tips for tricky bits like við, borð, and skulum?

við: final ð is like the “th” in “this.”
borð: after r, the ð is very soft and may be barely audible; don’t pronounce it as a hard “d.”
skulum: the first vowel is like the “u” in English “put,” and stress is on the first syllable: SKU‑lum.
bæði: æ is like the vowel in English “eye.”

Does við bæði necessarily mean exactly two people? What if I mean “all of us”?

bæði implies two. For “all of us,” use við öll: Skulum við öll fara núna og panta borð?

Could I use saman (“together”) instead of bæði?

They’re different:

bæði = “both (of us)”
saman = “together” You can combine them for emphasis: Skulum við bæði fara núna og panta borð saman. But við saman does not mean “we both.”