Við förum í ferðalag í ár.

we

Breakdown of Við förum í ferðalag í ár.

• fara: to go
• ferðalag: the trip
• í: on

Questions & Answers about Við förum í ferðalag í ár.

Why is the verb förum (present tense) used when the meaning is future, like "we are going to go on a trip this year"?

Icelandic very often uses the simple present tense to talk about the future, especially when there is a time expression like í ár (this year) that makes the future meaning clear.

So við förum í ferðalag í ár literally is we go on a trip this year, but it is naturally understood as we are going on a trip this year or we will go on a trip this year.

There is no single, separate "will"-future tense in Icelandic like in English. Instead, you mainly see:

• simple present (förum) with a time expression
• or auxiliary verbs like ætla (to intend) and munu (will), e.g. við ætlum að fara or við munum fara.

What exactly does förum mean, and what is the base form of this verb?

Förum is first person plural, present indicative of the verb fara (to go).

The main present-tense forms of fara are:

• ég fer – I go
• þú ferð – you (sg.) go
• hann / hún / það fer – he / she / it goes
• við förum – we go
• þið farið – you (pl.) go
• þeir / þær / þau fara – they go

So við förum simply means we go (and in this sentence, by context, we are going / we will go).