Við þýðum þetta saman.

We translate this together.

Breakdown of Við þýðum þetta saman.

• við: we
• saman: together
• þetta: this
• þýða: to translate

Questions & Answers about Við þýðum þetta saman.

What does each word in Við þýðum þetta saman mean, and what is the basic structure of the sentence?

The sentence is straightforward subject–verb–object–adverb, like English:

• Við – we (1st person plural subject pronoun, nominative case)
• þýðum – translate (1st person plural present tense of að þýða – to translate / to mean)
• þetta – this / this thing / this (text) (neuter singular pronoun in accusative case, functioning as the object)
• saman – together (adverb)

So structurally it is:

• Við (subject)
• þýðum (verb)
• þetta (direct object)
• saman (adverb)

= We translate this together.

What grammatical form is þýðum, and how does að þýða conjugate in the present tense?

þýðum is the 1st person plural present indicative form of the verb að þýða (to translate / to mean).

Present tense of að þýða:

• ég þýði – I translate
• þú þýðir – you (singular) translate
• hann / hún / það þýðir – he / she / it translates
• við þýðum – we translate
• þið þýðið – you (plural) translate
• þeir / þær / þau þýða – they translate

So við þýðum directly matches English we translate.

Why doesn’t the Icelandic sentence use a separate word for “are” or an -ing form, like “We are translating this together”?

Icelandic normally uses the simple present tense to cover both:

• English simple present: We translate this together.
• English present progressive: We are translating this together.

So Við þýðum þetta saman can, depending on context, mean either:

• a general habit: We (usually) translate this together.
• a current ongoing action: We are (right now) translating this together.

If you really want to emphasize the ongoing nature of the action (closer to English are translating), you can say:

• Við erum að þýða þetta saman. – We are translating this together (right now).

But in many contexts, the simple Við þýðum þetta saman is perfectly natural for both readings.

What exactly is við? Does Icelandic have different forms of “we” like some other languages?

Við is the 1st person plural nominative pronoun, meaning we.

Key points:

• It is used for any group that includes the speaker: we, we two, we three, etc.
• Modern Icelandic does not have separate “dual” pronouns (like “we two”) in everyday use, unlike Old Norse. So við covers both “we (two of us)” and “we (more than two)”.
• In other cases (non‑nominative) the forms are:
  • okkur – us (accusative / dative)
  • okkar – our / of us (genitive)

In this sentence, við is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the verb þýðum.

Why is þetta used here, and what gender/case is it?

Þetta is a demonstrative pronoun meaning this or this thing, and more loosely this / it.

Grammatically:

• Gender: neuter
• Number: singular
• Case: accusative here, because it is the direct object of the verb þýðum

Forms of this pronoun (singular):

• þessi – masculine/feminine nominative
• þessa / þennan / þessa – various accusative forms for other genders
• þetta – neuter nominative and accusative

Icelandic very often uses the neuter pronoun þetta to refer to an unspecified “this”:

• Við þýðum þetta saman. – We translate this (thing / text / material) together.
• Hvað er þetta? – What is this?

If you want to be specific about what “this” is, you’d usually replace þetta with a noun phrase:

• Við þýðum þessa setningu saman. – We translate this sentence together.
• Við þýðum þennan texta saman. – We translate this text together.

What does saman mean exactly, and where can it go in the sentence?

Saman is an adverb meaning together.

In Við þýðum þetta saman, it tells us how the action is done — the manner adverb:

• We translate this together.

Typical positions:

• After the object (very natural, as in your sentence):
  
  • Við þýðum þetta saman.
• Directly after the verb (also possible):
  
  • Við þýðum saman þetta. – grammatically possible but less natural here.
• With pronouns, the object often comes before saman, so your original order is the idiomatic one.

So the default, most natural word order is exactly what you have:

Við þýðum þetta saman.

Can að þýða also mean “to mean” (as in “What does this mean?”), or is it only “to translate”?

Að þýða has two closely related main meanings, and context tells you which one is intended:

1. to translate (from one language to another)

   • Ég þýði texta úr ensku á íslensku. – I translate texts from English into Icelandic.
   • Við þýðum þetta saman. – We translate this together.

2. to mean / to signify

   • Hvað þýðir þetta? – What does this mean?
   • Rauður ljósið þýðir að þú átt að stoppa. – The red light means that you should stop.

The verb form is the same; only the context decides whether it is translate or mean. In your sentence, the presence of við as subject and the cooperative sense with saman naturally suggest the translate meaning.

Is the word order in Við þýðum þetta saman fixed, or can it be changed?

The neutral, most idiomatic order is:

Subject – Verb – Object – Adverb
Við þýðum þetta saman.

Possible but less usual variants:

• Við þýðum saman þetta. – understandable, but sounds slightly odd/unusual in modern Icelandic.
• Þetta þýðum við saman. – this can be used with emphasis on “this” (e.g. contrasting with something else: This we translate together).

Key idea: Icelandic word order is fairly similar to English SVO in simple main clauses, but it allows limited rearrangement to change emphasis. For normal, unmarked emphasis, stick to:

Við þýðum þetta saman.

How are þ and ð pronounced in þýðum, and how does þýðum sound overall?

Pronunciation tips:

• þ – like the unvoiced “th” in thing, thin.
• ð – like the voiced “th” in this, that, but often softer, especially between vowels.

Approximate pronunciation of þýðum:

• þý‑:
  
  • þ = th (as in thin)
  • ý = a long, front vowel, somewhat like ee in see, but with lips more spread and a bit tenser.
• ‑ðum:
  
  • ð = th (as in this)
  • u = like the u in British English put (a short /ʏ/ sound)
  • m = normal m

So a rough English approximation is something like:

THIETH-um

with THI using thin’s th and ETH (soft) using this’s th, but with a long ý and a short u at the end.