Við safnum peningum saman.

we

Breakdown of Við safnum peningum saman.

• saman: together
• peningurinn: the money
• safna: to collect

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”.

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

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.

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What nuance does saman add? Is it necessary?