Við borðum inni.

to eat

Breakdown of Við borðum inni.

• við: we
• inni: inside

Questions & Answers about Við borðum inni.

What are the parts of speech in the sentence?

• Við = pronoun, nominative plural, meaning “we.”
• borðum = finite verb, present tense, 1st person plural of borða (“to eat”).
• inni = adverb meaning “inside/indoors” (locative sense).

Why is it borðum and not borða?

Icelandic verbs agree with the subject. With við (we), present tense takes the ending -um: við borðum. The full present conjugation is:

• ég borða
• þú borðar
• hann/hún/það borðar
• við borðum
• þið borðið
• þeir/þær/þau borða

Can the sentence also mean “We are eating inside (right now)”?

Often yes; Icelandic simple present can describe a current action. If you want to make the progressive explicit, use: Við erum að borða inni.

Is the word order normal? Could I start with the place word?

Yes, this is normal main-clause order (subject + verb + other stuff). You can front the place for emphasis and still keep the verb in second position: Inni borðum við (Indoors, we eat).

How do I make the yes–no question “Are we eating inside?”?

Invert subject and verb: Borðum við inni?

How do I negate it?

Put ekki after the finite verb: Við borðum ekki inni (“We don’t eat inside”).

What’s the difference between inni, inn, and í?

• inni = inside (location, no motion). Adverb, no case after it.
• inn = in(wards) (direction, motion). Adverb.
• í = “in/into,” a preposition that takes:
  • dative for location: í húsinu (in the house),
  • accusative for motion: í húsið (into the house).

When do I use inn í and inni í?

• inn í
  • accusative = “into” (motion): Við förum inn í húsið (We go into the house).
• inni í
  • dative = “inside (in)” (location): Við erum inni í húsinu (We are inside the house).

Could I say Við borðum heima instead of inni?

You can, but it changes the meaning. heima = “at home,” while inni = “indoors/inside” (not necessarily at home).

Why is it Við and not Okkur?

Við is the nominative (subject) form “we.” Okkur is accusative/dative (“us”) and is used for objects or after certain prepositions, e.g., Hann sér okkur (He sees us).

Is við ever something other than “we”?

Yes. There is also the preposition við meaning “by/against/with respect to,” which takes the accusative (e.g., við vegginn = by the wall). Context distinguishes it from the pronoun við “we.”

Is it okay to omit an object with borða?

Yes. Borða can be intransitive when the object is general/understood. You can add one if needed: Við borðum inni fisk (better: Við borðum fisk inni = We eat fish inside).

How is the sentence pronounced?

• Við: roughly [vɪːð] (the ð is like the th in “this”; the vowel is long).
• borðum: [ˈpɔrðʏm] (the written b is unaspirated like a soft p; ð as above).
• inni: [ˈɪnːɪ] (double n is long, and the vowel is short).

Any spelling pitfalls to watch?

• í and i are different vowels: Við uses í, not i.
• ð is its own letter (not d).
• inni has double n.
• Don’t confuse borðum (we eat) with börðum (we beat, past of berja).

Could Borðum inni! be a correct sentence?

Yes. Without við, Borðum inni! is a 1st-person plural imperative: “Let’s eat inside!”

How do I say “We ate inside” (past tense)?

Use the weak past of borða: Við borðuðum inni. (Past endings: -aði in 1sg/3sg; 1pl is -uðum.)