Við hittumst í líkamsræktinni tvisvar í viku.

We meet at the gym twice a week.

Breakdown of Við hittumst í líkamsræktinni tvisvar í viku.

• við: we
• í: in
• vikan: the week
• hittast: to meet
• líkamsræktin: the gym
• tvisvar: twice

Questions & Answers about Við hittumst í líkamsræktinni tvisvar í viku.

What does Við mean, and do I always have to say it?

Við means we (1st person plural).

Unlike some languages (like Spanish), Icelandic normally does not drop subject pronouns, because:

• Several verb forms are ambiguous (for example við hittumst can be present or past), and
• Using the pronoun is the neutral, natural way to speak.

So in most normal sentences you do say við:
Við hittumst … = We meet … / We met …

Why is it hittumst and not just hittum?

The verb is hittast (“to meet each other”), not just hitta (“to meet [someone]”).

• hitta = to meet someone as an object
  
  • Við hittum hann. = We met him.
• hittast = to meet one another, reciprocal / middle voice
  
  • Við hittumst. = We meet / we get together (with each other).

The -st ending is very common in Icelandic and often marks:

• Reflexive / reciprocal meaning (doing something to each other or to oneself)
• Or a kind of middle/passive voice.

In this sentence, við hittumst clearly means “we meet each other”, not “we meet someone else”.

What tense is hittumst here? Is it present or past?

Formally, við hittumst can be either:

• Present, 1st person plural – “we meet” / “we get together”
• Past, 1st person plural – “we met”

The form is the same in present and past for við hittumst, so the tense is decided by context.

In your sentence with tvisvar í viku (“twice a week”), it is clearly present habitual:
Við hittumst í líkamsræktinni tvisvar í viku.
= We meet at the gym twice a week. (regular habit)

What exactly is líkamsræktinni? What is the base word?

The base noun is líkamsrækt (feminine), a compound:

• líkams- = “body’s” (genitive of líkami, body)
• rækt = training / cultivation

So líkamsrækt literally = body-training, i.e. physical exercise / working out.

Forms (singular, main ones):

• Nominative: líkamsrækt
• Definite nominative: líkamsræktin = “the gym / the exercise”
• Dative definite: líkamsræktinni = “in/at the gym” (here)

In the sentence, í líkamsræktinni = in the gym / at the gym, dative with a definite article attached as the ending -inni.

Why is it í líkamsræktinni and not í líkamsræktina?

The preposition í (in) can take either dative or accusative:

• Dative = location, where something is
  
  • Við erum í líkamsræktinni. = We are at the gym.
• Accusative = motion into / change of location
  
  • Við förum í líkamsræktina. = We go to the gym / into the gym.

In your sentence, the meaning is location (“we meet at the gym”), so:

• í
  • dative
• líkamsrækt (f.) in dative definite = líkamsræktinni

So:
Við hittumst í líkamsræktinni … = We meet in/at the gym …

Does líkamsrækt always mean “gym”? Could it also mean “exercise”?

líkamsrækt mainly means physical exercise, working out.

In practice:

• að fara í líkamsrækt = to go (do) exercise / to go to the gym
• í líkamsræktinni = at the gym (place where you exercise)

So it can refer both to:

1. The activity (exercise, working out), and
2. The place (the gym / fitness center) where you do it.

Context usually makes it clear, and in your sentence it is naturally understood as “at the gym”.

Why is it tvisvar í viku and not tvisvar á viku?

For frequency, Icelandic normally uses í viku (“in a week / per week”), not á viku.

• tvisvar í viku = twice a week (standard, idiomatic)
• á viku is used in other time meanings, like “within the space of a week”
  
  • Ég klára þetta á viku. = I’ll finish this in a week.

So for “how many times per week?”, the natural pattern is:

• einu sinni í viku = once a week
• tvisvar í viku = twice a week
• þrisvar í viku = three times a week, etc.

Why is it viku and not vika or vikunni?

The noun vika (week, feminine) declines like this (singular):

• Nominative: vika
• Accusative: viku
• Dative: viku
• Genitive: viku

So viku can be accusative, dative or genitive; only nominative is vika.

In the expression tvisvar í viku:

• í takes a non‑nominative case (here understood as dative)
• The fixed phrase í viku (after frequency adverbs like tvisvar, þrisvar) means per week.

We don’t say tvisvar í vikunni in this meaning; that would sound like:

• “twice in the week” (referring to one specific week, not a general habit).

For the general habitual meaning twice a week, use tvisvar í viku.

Are there other correct ways to say “twice a week” in Icelandic?

Yes, a few natural variants:

• tvisvar í viku – the most common, neutral.
• tvisvar í hverri viku – “twice in every week”; slightly more explicit.
• tvisvar sinnum í viku – also correct, adds sinnum (“times”); a bit more wordy.

You would not normally say tvisvar á viku for this meaning.

Could I move tvisvar í viku earlier or later in the sentence? Does the word order change the meaning?

The basic meaning stays the same, but word order can slightly change the emphasis.

All of these are grammatical:

1. Við hittumst í líkamsræktinni tvisvar í viku.
   – Neutral, slight focus on place first, then frequency.

2. Við hittumst tvisvar í viku í líkamsræktinni.
   – Slightly more focus on how often you meet.

3. Tvisvar í viku hittumst við í líkamsræktinni.
   – Strong emphasis on the twice a week idea (stylistic, more marked).

Icelandic word order is fairly flexible for adverbs like this, but the version you have is completely natural.

How do you pronounce hittumst and líkamsræktinni?

Approximate pronunciations:

• hittumst

  • IPA: [ˈhɪhtʏmst]
  • Tips:
    
    • hi- like “hi” in hit, but shorter.
    • The tt is aspirated ([ht] sound), a bit like hit-th.
    • Final -umst is one syllable [ʏmst], with a short u sound.

• líkamsræktinni

  • IPA: [ˈliːkamsˌraixtɪnɪ] (stress on lí-, secondary stress on rækt)
  • Tips:
    
    • lí = like lee (long í).
    • kams = like kams in English comes but with clear k.
    • rækt ≈ raikt with an Icelandic æ like English eye, and kt pronounced [ixt] or [axt] depending on dialect.
    • inni = “IN-ni” with short vowels.

You can think of it roughly as: LÍ‑kams‑RÆKT‑in‑ni, with main stress on LÍ‑.