Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Við viljum leika saman.

Because the subject is við (we), you must use the 1st person plural form viljum, not the infinitive vilja. Using við vilja would be ungrammatical.

Why isn’t there an Icelandic word for “to” before „leika“, like in English “want to play”?

In Icelandic, certain verbs that function a bit like modals (e.g. vilja “want”, geta “can”, ætta “ought to”, munu in some uses) take a bare infinitive after them, without að (“to”).

So you say:

Ég vil fara. – I want to go.
Við viljum leika. – We want to play.

You do not say *Ég vil að fara or *Við viljum að leika in this structure. The infinitive stands on its own after vilja.

What is the difference between „leika“ and „spila“ for “to play”?

Both can translate as “to play”, but they’re used in different contexts:

leika
- to play in a general / physical / imaginative sense
- used for children playing, acting, animals playing, etc.
- examples:
  - Krakkarnir leika úti. – The kids are playing outside.
  - Hún leikur í bíómynd. – She acts in a movie.
spila
- to play games or instruments
- examples:
  - Við spilum fótbolta. – We play football.
  - Hann spilar á gítar. – He plays the guitar.

In „Við viljum leika saman“, the idea is that we want to play together in a general, probably child‑like or social sense, so leika is the natural verb.

What exactly does „saman“ mean, and where does it usually go in the sentence?

saman is an adverb meaning “together”.

Placement:

It usually comes after the main verb or verb phrase it modifies:
- Við leikum saman. – We play together.
- Við viljum leika saman. – We want to play together.

Putting it elsewhere can sound unnatural or change the emphasis. For example, *Við viljum saman leika sounds odd in normal speech. Stick to verb + saman in basic sentences.

How do you pronounce „Við viljum leika saman“?

An approximate IPA transcription and English‑based guide:

Við – [vɪːð]
- v as in vase
- i like ee in see but shorter, and lengthened by position
- ð is the soft “th” in this (never like think)
viljum – [ˈvɪljʏm]
- stress on the first syllable: VIL‑jum
- lj is like an l with a bit of y glide
- u here is [ʏ], similar to German ü in Müll
leika – [ˈleiːka]
- ei pronounced like English “ay” in say
- stress on LEI‑ka
saman – [ˈsaːman]
- a in the first syllable is long [aː], like a longer a in father
- stress: SA‑man

Overall stress is on the first syllable of each word, and Icelandic tends to have relatively even rhythm: Við VIL‑jum LEI‑ka SA‑man.

What person and number are „við“ and „viljum“, grammatically?

við – 1st person plural nominative pronoun, meaning we
viljum – 1st person plural present indicative of að vilja (to want)

So there is subject–verb agreement: 1st person plural subject (við) with the 1st person plural verb form (viljum). In Icelandic, this agreement is obligatory; mismatching forms are simply wrong.

Can this sentence be in the past or future? How would it change?

Yes; you change the form of vilja (or use another auxiliary) while leika saman stays in the infinitive:

Present:
- Við viljum leika saman. – We want to play together.
Past (simple):
- Við vildum leika saman. – We wanted to play together.
Future (with „munu“):
- Við munum vilja leika saman. – We will want to play together.
  (More common is just: Við munum leika saman. – We will play together.)

Notice that leika does not change here; it stays in the infinitive because it depends on vilja or munu.

Is „leika“ in any particular case or form here?

leika is in the bare infinitive form. In Icelandic, infinitives usually appear as “að + verb” in dictionaries (e.g. að leika), but in this sentence:

að is omitted (because of viljum, which takes a bare infinitive),
and you just get the verb stem leika.

Cases (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive) apply to nouns and pronouns, not to the verb itself. So leika here is simply infinitive, no case.

Could I say „Við leikum saman“ instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

Við leikum saman. – We play together.

Difference in nuance:

Við viljum leika saman. – focuses on desire/intention: we want to play together (maybe we haven’t started yet).
Við leikum saman. – simply states a fact or ongoing action: we are playing together / we (regularly) play together.

So viljum adds the idea of wanting; without it, you’re just describing the action.

Is there any formality or politeness difference in this sentence?

No. Við viljum leika saman is neutral in terms of politeness and formality.

Key points:

Icelandic doesn’t have a T/V distinction like tu/vous or du/Sie; við is the only standard word for “we”.
The vocabulary is simple and everyday. With slight context changes, you could use it with children, friends, or in neutral writing.

The level of formality would come more from your overall context and tone, not from this grammar itself.