Við göngum í skóginn á morgnana.

We walk into the forest in the mornings.

Breakdown of Við göngum í skóginn á morgnana.

• við: we
• ganga: to walk
• á: in
• í: into
• morguninn: the morning
• skógur: the forest

Questions & Answers about Við göngum í skóginn á morgnana.

Why is it göngum and not ganga or some other form of the verb?

Ganga is the infinitive form of the verb “to walk.” In the sentence you need the form that matches the subject við (“we”).

Present indicative of ganga (to walk):

• ég geng – I walk
• þú gengur – you (sg.) walk
• hann/hún/það gengur – he/she/it walks
• við göngum – we walk
• þið gangið – you (pl.) walk
• þeir/þær/þau ganga – they walk

So with við (“we”), you must use göngum. The vowel changes (a → ö) are just part of the irregular verb pattern.

Why is it í skóginn and not í skógur or í skóg?

The base word is skógur (“forest,” nominative singular). In this sentence:

• You have a definite noun: the forest, not just “a forest”.
• And it’s in the accusative case, because there is movement into the forest.

Declension of skógur in the singular (indefinite vs. definite):

• Nominative: skógur / skógurinn – (the) forest (subject)
• Accusative: skóg / skóginn – (the) forest (object, motion towards)
• Dative: skógi / skóginum
• Genitive: skógar / skógarins

In í skóginn:

• í governs accusative here because of motion into something.
• skóginn = accusative + definite (“the forest”).

So í skóginn literally is “into the forest.”

Why is the definite article attached to the noun (skóginn) instead of written as a separate word like “the forest”?

In Icelandic, the usual way to say “the X” is by adding a suffix to the noun, rather than using a separate word:

• skógur – forest
• skógurinn – the forest (nominative)
• skóginn – the forest (accusative)

This -inn is the definite article. There is also a separate word hinn that can act like “the,” but it’s less common and mostly used in more formal or special contexts. For ordinary “the,” you normally use the suffixed form like skóginn.

Why is skóginn in the accusative case? How do I know it’s not dative?

The preposition í can take either dative or accusative, depending on the meaning:

• Í + dative = location (being in):
  
  • Við göngum í skóginum. – We walk in the forest (already inside it).
• Í + accusative = motion into:
  
  • Við göngum í skóginn. – We walk into the forest.

In your sentence, the meaning is clearly “we walk into the forest,” so í takes accusative, and the noun shows that with the form skóginn.

What exactly does á morgnana mean, and why is it plural?

Á morgnana means “in the mornings / on mornings” in the sense of a habitual, repeated action.

• Base noun: morgunn – (a) morning
• Accusative plural (indefinite): morgna
• Accusative plural definite: morgnana – the mornings

So:

• á morgun – tomorrow / (on) the morning (one specific morning)
• á morgnana – in the mornings (repeatedly, as a habit)

Using the plural definite here is how Icelandic expresses “on mornings in general.”

Why is it á morgnana and not í morgnana for “in the mornings”?

In time expressions, Icelandic very often uses the preposition á rather than í:

• á mánudögum – on Mondays
• á kvöldin – in the evenings
• á morgnana – in the mornings

So á is the standard, idiomatic choice with parts of the day and repeated times. Í morgnana would sound wrong in this meaning.

(You can use í with time in other structures, e.g. í gær – yesterday, but not in this particular recurring-time phrase.)

Can this sentence also mean “We are walking into the forest in the mornings” (progressive aspect)?

Yes. Icelandic does not have a separate continuous/progressive tense like English “am walking.” The present tense covers both:

• Við göngum í skóginn á morgnana.
  = We walk into the forest in the mornings.
  = We are walking into the forest in the mornings.

Context normally makes it clear that this is a habitual action (because of á morgnana), so you usually translate it as “We walk into the forest in the mornings” or “We go into the forest in the mornings.”

Could I change the word order to Við göngum á morgnana í skóginn? Is that still correct?

Yes, that word order is grammatically correct:

• Við göngum í skóginn á morgnana. (more neutral)
• Við göngum á morgnana í skóginn. (slightly different emphasis)

Both mean the same thing. Icelandic word order is relatively flexible, especially with adverbials like time and place.

However, the original order — [subject] [verb] [place] [time] — is very natural and common:

• Við (we)
• göngum (walk)
• í skóginn (into the forest – place)
• á morgnana (in the mornings – time)

Can I omit við and just say Göngum í skóginn á morgnana?

You can omit við, and the sentence is still grammatically correct:

• Göngum í skóginn á morgnana.

However:

• Without við, it might sound more like a general instruction or collective “let’s” (depending on context): “(Let’s) walk into the forest in the mornings.”
• Icelandic does sometimes drop pronouns when the subject is obvious from context, but subject pronouns are usually kept, especially in simple, neutral statements.

So for a clear statement “We walk into the forest in the mornings,” it’s more natural to keep við.

How do you pronounce göngum, skóginn, and morgnana?

Approximate pronunciations (in a rough English-friendly way):

• við: like vith with a soft th as in this, and a short i like in bit.
• göngum: roughly GÖNG-um
  
  • ö like the u in British burn (rounded),
  • ng as in English sing,
  • final um like oom but shorter and less stressed.
• í: like long ee in see.
• skóginn: roughly SKOH-yin
  
  • skó like skoh (with long o as in go),
  • ginn gives a yin sound (because of the -inn ending).
• á: like ow in cow but a bit tenser and shorter.
• morgnana: roughly MOR(g)-na-na
  
  • mor somewhat like English more,
  • the g in morgn- is often very weak or not clearly heard,
  • then -na-na with short, light syllables.

Icelandic pronunciation has some extra subtleties (like pre-aspiration and vowel length), but these approximations are close enough to be understood.