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Breakdown of Fundarherbergið er laust núna, svo við förum inn.
vera
to be
við
we
fara
to go
núna
now
inn
in
svo
so
fundarherbergið
the meeting room
laus
available
Questions & Answers about Fundarherbergið er laust núna, svo við förum inn.
Why is it laust and not laus?
Because adjectives agree with the noun’s gender, number, and case. Fundarherbergið is neuter singular nominative, so the predicate adjective must also be neuter singular nominative: laust.
- Masculine sg: laus
- Feminine sg: laus
- Neuter sg: laust
- Plural: masc lausir, fem lausar, neut laus (e.g., Fundarherbergin eru laus “The meeting rooms are free”)
Does laust mean “free of charge”?
No. Laus/laust means “free/available/unoccupied” (a seat, room, line). For “free of charge,” use:
- ókeypis or frítt (e.g., “Admission is free” = Aðgangur er ókeypis/frítt) For “free” in the sense of liberty/allowed, use frjáls(t).
How is fundarherbergið formed?
It’s a compound:
- fundar- = genitive singular of fundur (“meeting”) used as a linking form
- herbergi = “room” (neuter)
- -ið = suffixed definite article (neuter singular), “the” So fundarherbergi = “meeting room,” fundarherbergið = “the meeting room.” Compounds are written as one word in Icelandic.
Why is the article attached as -ið instead of a separate word?
Icelandic normally uses a suffixed definite article: herbergi → herbergið (“the room”). Separate forms (hinn/hið/hin) exist but are formal or emphatic and much less common in everyday speech.
Why is it förum and not something like farum?
The verb fara is irregular and shows u‑umlaut in the 1st person plural: a → ö before the ending -um. Hence:
- 1pl present: við förum (“we go/are going”)
- Not: farum
Can the present tense við förum mean “we’ll go (now)”?
Yes. Icelandic has no separate future tense; the present is used for immediate/near-future actions, often with an adverb such as núna (“now”). You can also express intention: við ætlum að fara (“we intend to go / we’re going to go”).
What are the key forms of fara I should know?
- Present: ég fer, þú ferð, hann/hún fer, við förum, þið farið, þeir/þau/þær fara
- Past: ég fór, þú fórst, hann/hún fór, við fórum, þið fóruð, þeir/þau/þær fóru
- Past participle (used with “to be/have”): farinn/farin/farið
What’s the difference between við förum inn, Förum við inn?, and Förum inn!?
- Við förum inn. Statement: “We (are) go(ing) in.”
- Förum við inn? Yes/no question: “Are we going in?”
- Förum inn! 1st‑person plural imperative: “Let’s go in!”
Why inn here? What’s the difference between inn, inni, and inn í?
- inn = motion “in(wards)” (go in)
- inni = location “inside” (be in)
- inn í
- accusative = motion “into” a specific place, e.g., Við förum inn í fundarherbergið (“We go into the meeting room”).
In your sentence, inn is enough because the room has just been mentioned.
- accusative = motion “into” a specific place, e.g., Við förum inn í fundarherbergið (“We go into the meeting room”).
Can I use nú instead of núna?
Yes. Both mean “now.” Núna often feels a bit more colloquial/emphatic (“right now”), while nú is shorter and a touch more formal or neutral. Both are common.
What exactly does svo do here, and why is there a comma?
Here svo is a coordinating connector meaning “so/therefore”: “…, svo við förum inn.” After coordinating svo, you keep normal subject–verb order (við förum).
A comma before svo is common but stylistic; you’ll see both with and without a comma.
Compare:
- Svo förum við inn. Here svo is an adverb at the start of the clause (“then/so”), and Icelandic keeps the verb in second position: förum comes before við.
- …; því förum við inn. “Therefore we go in” (því is an adverb; V2 inversion follows).
- …, þannig að við förum inn. “…, so that/so (as a result) we go in.” Subordinator; no inversion.
Could I drop við?
Generally no. Icelandic is not a “pro‑drop” language; subjects are normally expressed. If you drop við and say Förum inn, that’s no longer a statement but the 1st‑person plural imperative “Let’s go in!”
Why not fundaherbergið? Why is it fundar‑?
Compounds typically use the genitive singular of the first noun as a linking form. The genitive of fundur (“meeting”) is fundar. Hence fundarherbergið, not fundaherbergið.
How would this change if I used a different word for “room,” like stofa?
Stofa is feminine. Agreement changes the adjective:
- Fundarstofan er laus núna, svo við förum inn.
Here laus (not laust) agrees with the feminine stofa.
What case is fundarherbergið in?
Nominative singular (it’s the subject). Don’t confuse it with the dative you’d get after a preposition of location:
- Subject: Fundarherbergið er laust.
- Location: Við erum í fundarherberginu. (“We are in the meeting room.”)
Can I front núna or other elements? Any word‑order issues?
Yes. Icelandic main clauses are verb‑second (V2):
- Núna er fundarherbergið laust, svo við förum inn.
When you move an adverb like núna to the front, keep the finite verb (er) in second position.
Pronunciation tips for tricky bits here?
- ð (in við, herbergið): voiced “th” as in “this.”
- þ (not in this sentence, but related): voiceless “th” as in “thin.”
- ö (in förum): like the vowel in English “fur,” but rounded [œ].
- au (in laust): a diphthong roughly like “oy” in “boy,” but more fronted/rounded [œy].
- ú vs u: ú is long [uː] (in núna); short u is more like [ʏ] (in fundar).
- Stress is on the first syllable of each word: FÚN‑dar‑her‑ber‑gið er LAUST NÚ‑na, svo við FÖR‑um INN.
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