Við eigum lítinn hóp vina sem talar bara íslensku saman.

We have a small group of friends who speak only Icelandic together.

Breakdown of Við eigum lítinn hóp vina sem talar bara íslensku saman.

• eiga: to have
• tala: to speak
• vinurinn: the friend
• við: we

Questions & Answers about Við eigum lítinn hóp vina sem talar bara íslensku saman.

Why is it eigum and not höfum for “have” here?

Icelandic has two common verbs that both correspond to English “have”:

• að eiga – literally “to own, to possess,” but also used for relationships you have, like friends, family, a house, etc.
• að hafa – “to have,” “to hold,” often more neutral or temporary.

In Við eigum lítinn hóp vina, eiga is more natural because:

• A hóp vina (group of friends) is something you have in the sense of a more permanent or personal relationship.
• Using höfum (við höfum lítinn hóp vina) is possible, but it sounds a bit more neutral and less idiomatic in this context.

So eigum emphasizes “this is our group of friends (that we ‘own/possess’ in a relational sense)” rather than just “we happen to have a group right now.”

Why is it lítinn hóp and not lítill hópur?