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Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Við safnum peningum saman. - We save money together.

Hardcore Icelandic
/Lesson 27
/Við safnum peningum saman.

Við safnum peningum saman.

Word

Við safnum peningum saman.

Meaning

We save money together.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Icelandic

Lesson

Breakdown of Við safnum peningum saman.

Questions & Answers about Við safnum peningum saman.

Why is it peningum and not peninga?

Because að safna (“to collect, gather”) takes the dative case for its object in Icelandic.

The noun peningur (“coin; money”) in the plural dative is peningum.
Many English learners expect the accusative plural (peninga) as the direct object, but some Icelandic verbs govern the dative instead.

Very roughly for the plural of peningur:

Nominative: peningar – “(the) coins / money”
Accusative: peninga
Dative: peningum ← used after safna
Genitive: peninga

So: að safna peningum is the normal, correct structure: “to collect money”.

What is the infinitive of safnum, and how is it conjugated?

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The infinitive is að safna (“to collect, to gather, to accumulate”).

Present tense of að safna:

ég safna – I collect
þú safnar – you (sing.) collect
hann / hún / það safnar – he / she / it collects
við safnum – we collect ← in your sentence
þið safnið – you (pl.) collect
þeir / þær / þau safna – they collect

The -um ending is the regular 1st person plural ending in the present tense for weak verbs like safna.

What nuance does saman add? Is it necessary?

Saman means “together”.

Við safnum peningum – “We collect money / We’re collecting money.”
Við safnum peningum saman – “We collect money together / We’re pooling money together.”

So saman:

emphasizes that the action is joint or collective;
often implies that everyone is chipping in or contributing to a common pot.

The sentence is grammatically fine without saman; it just loses that extra “together / jointly” nuance.

Can the word order be Við safnum saman peningum?

Yes, Við safnum saman peningum is also possible and grammatical.

Word order with adverbs like saman is fairly flexible:

Við safnum peningum saman.
Við safnum saman peningum.

Both are used. The version in your original sentence (…peningum saman) is probably the more common of the two, but both sound natural.

How do I say “We are collecting money” as a continuous action, like English present progressive?

Icelandic usually uses the simple present for both:

Við safnum peningum (saman).
= “We collect money” / “We are collecting money.”

If you really want to emphasize that something is happening right now, you can use the “vera að” construction:

Við erum að safna peningum (saman).
Literally: “We are to collect money together” → “We are in the process of collecting money together.”

Both are correct; the plain simple present is already a good translation of English “are collecting”.

Why is við used here and not another form like okkur?

Because við is the nominative form, used for the subject of the sentence.

Personal pronoun for “we / us”:

Nominative (subject): við – “we”
Accusative / Dative (object): okkur – “us”
Genitive: okkar – “our / of us”

In Við safnum peningum saman, “we” are the ones doing the action, so the subject must be við, not okkur.

Is peningur usually used in singular or plural when talking about money in general?

When talking about money in general, Icelandic normally uses the plural:

peningar = “money” (not literally “coins” only; it’s the standard word)
peningur (singular) = “a coin / a unit of money” in a more literal sense

So:

Ég á ekki peninga. – “I have no money.”
Við erum að safna peningum. – “We are collecting money.”

Even though English treats “money” as uncountable, Icelandic uses the plural of peningur for that concept.

Could this mean “We save money together” as in not spending it?

It can have that meaning, depending on context.

að safna can mean:

to collect / gather (for a purpose: a charity, a gift, etc.)
to accumulate / save up (e.g. money, stamps, points)

So:

Við safnum peningum saman
can mean:
- “We raise money together (for something).”
- “We save up money together (e.g. a couple saving for a trip).”

If you specifically want “save (put aside) money”, another common phrase is:

að leggja fyrir (peninga) – to put money aside / save money.

Example: Við leggjum fyrir saman. – “We save (money) together.”

How do you pronounce Við safnum peningum saman?

Approximate pronunciation (IPA-like, simplified):

Við – [vɪːð]
- v like English v
- ið like long i in “bit” but longer; ð is a soft th sound as in “this”
safnum – [ˈsapnʏm]
- stress on saf-
- a like “a” in “father” but shorter
- u in the ending is like a short, relaxed “oo/uh”
peningum – [ˈpʰeːniŋkʏm] (often with a little [k] sound before the final m)
- stress on pe-
- e long, like “eh” held slightly longer
- -ing- is like “ing” in “sing,” often with a slight k before um
saman – [ˈsaːman]
- stress on sa-
- a again like “a” in “father,” the first one long

Rhythmically: Við SAF-num PE-ning-um SA-man, with clear stress on the first syllable of each content word.

Are there other common verbs that, like safna, take the dative case?

Yes. A few high‑frequency ones:

hjálpa einhverjum – to help someone
- Ég hjálpa honum. – I help him. (honum = dative)
trúa einhverjum – to believe someone
- Ég trúi þér. – I believe you. (þér = dative)
kenna einhverjum eitthvað – to teach someone something
- Hún kennir börnunum ensku. – She teaches the children English. (börnunum = dative)
líka við einhvern – to like someone
- Mér líkar við hana. – I like her. (mér = dative)
lýsa einhverju – to describe something
- Geturðu lýst húsinu? – Can you describe the house? (húsinu = dative)

So að safna einhverju – “to collect something” – fits into this pattern of verbs that “govern” the dative.

Could I drop við and just say Safnum peningum saman?

Yes, but then the meaning changes: it becomes a command / suggestion, like English “Let’s collect money together.”

Við safnum peningum saman. – “We (normally/now) collect money together.” (statement)
Safnum peningum saman! – “Let’s collect money together!” (1st person plural imperative)

For a neutral statement about what’s happening or what you do, you normally keep við.

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