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Breakdown of Við ræðum spurningarnar í kennslustofunni.
við
we
í
in
ræða
to discuss
spurningin
the question
kennslustofan
the classroom
Questions & Answers about Við ræðum spurningarnar í kennslustofunni.
What does the pronoun Við mean, and what are its other forms?
Við means “we” (nominative). Other common forms:
- Accusative/Dative: okkur (“us”)
- Genitive: okkar (“our/of us”)
Why is the verb ræðum (and not ræða) used here?
Ræðum is the present tense, first-person plural form of the verb ræða (“to discuss”). In the present tense:
- ég ræði, þú ræður, hann/hún/það ræður
- við ræðum, þið ræðið, þeir/þær/þau ræða
Does ræða need a preposition like “about,” and which case does it take?
- Ræða is transitive and normally takes a direct object in the accusative (no preposition needed).
- You will also hear and see ræða um (“discuss/talk about”), where um takes the accusative. Both are common; without um is a bit more concise/formal, with um can feel more conversational/emphatic.
Why does spurningarnar end in -nar?
Because it’s the definite plural (feminine) in the accusative: the direct object is “the questions.” Morphology:
- Base noun: spurning (“question”, feminine)
- Plural: spurningar
- Definite plural suffix (fem.): -nar
- Result: spurningarnar (“the questions”)
What’s the base form and gender of spurningarnar, and how do I say “a question/the questions”?
- Base form: spurning (feminine)
- “a question”: spurning
- “the question”: spurningin
- “questions”: spurningar
- “the questions”: spurningarnar The dative plural is spurningum (indef.) / spurningunum (def.).
Why is it í kennslustofunni and what case is that?
Í takes the dative when indicating location (being “in” a place). Kennslustofunni is dative singular definite of kennslustofa (“classroom”):
- Indef. dative singular: kennslustofu (“in a classroom”)
- Def. dative singular: kennslustofunni (“in the classroom”) If there were motion into the classroom, you’d use the accusative: í kennslustofuna (“into the classroom”).
What does kennslustofa literally mean, and why the ending -inni?
Kennslustofa is a compound: kennsla (“teaching/instruction”) + stofa (“room”) → “teaching room” = classroom. The ending -inni marks feminine dative singular definite (stofa → stofu + -inni → stofunni; with the compound: kennslustofunni).
Can I move the place phrase to the front?
Yes. Icelandic main clauses are typically verb-second. You can say:
- Í kennslustofunni ræðum við spurningarnar. The finite verb ræðum stays in second position after the fronted phrase.
How do I say this in the past or future?
- Past: Við ræddum spurningarnar í kennslustofunni. (“We discussed …”)
- Future: Við munum ræða spurningarnar í kennslustofunni. (“We will discuss …”)
Is there a difference between Við ræðum … and Við erum að ræða …?
Both can describe a present, ongoing action. Við ræðum … is the simple present but often covers the “we are discussing” meaning. Við erum að ræða … explicitly expresses a progressive, “we are in the middle of discussing,” and is common in speech.
How do I negate this sentence naturally?
Place ekki after the finite verb:
- Við ræðum ekki spurningarnar í kennslustofunni. If you want to negate specifically the location, you can put ekki before that phrase:
- Við ræðum spurningarnar ekki í kennslustofunni.
Any quick pronunciation tips for these words?
- ð (in Við, ræðum) is like the th in “this.”
- æ (in ræðum) sounds like the vowel in “eye.”
- í (in í) is like a long “ee.”
- Stress is on the first syllable of each word: Víð, RÆIðum, SPURningarnar, Í, KENNSlustofunni.
Why isn’t there a separate word for “the” in spurningarnar and kennslustofunni?
Icelandic uses a suffixed definite article attached to the noun:
- Singular definite: -inn (masc.), -in (fem.), -ið (neut.)
- Plural definite: -nir (masc.), -nar (fem.), -in (neut.)
Case endings come first, then the definite ending (e.g., spurningar
- -nar → spurningarnar; kennslustofu
- -inni → kennslustofunni).
- -nar → spurningarnar; kennslustofu
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