Við borðum hádegismat saman á virkum dögum.

We eat lunch together on weekdays.

Breakdown of Við borðum hádegismat saman á virkum dögum.

• borða: to eat
• við: we
• saman: together
• dagur: the day
• á: on
• virkur: working
• hádegismatur: the lunch

Questions & Answers about Við borðum hádegismat saman á virkum dögum.

Why is it borðum and not borða in this sentence?

Borða is the infinitive (to eat) and also the 1st person singular present tense (ég borða – I eat).

Here we have við (we), so the verb must agree with a 1st person plural subject:

• Ég borða – I eat
• Við borðum – We eat

So borðum is the correct present tense form with við.

What is the basic form of borðum, and how is it conjugated?

The basic dictionary form (infinitive) is að borða (to eat).

Present tense (indicative) looks like this:

• Ég borða – I eat
• Þú borðar – you (sing.) eat
• Hann / hún / það borðar – he / she / it eats
• Við borðum – we eat
• Þið borðið – you (pl.) eat
• Þeir / þær / þau borða – they eat

So borðum is simply the 1st person plural present form.

Why is it hádegismat and not hádegismatur?

The base noun is hádegismatur (lunch).

In the sentence, hádegismat is the direct object of the verb borðum, so it appears in the accusative singular:

• Nominative (dictionary form): hádegismatur – lunch
  
  • e.g. Hádegismatur er góður. – Lunch is good.
• Accusative (object): hádegismat – lunch
  
  • e.g. Við borðum hádegismat. – We eat lunch.

So the change from -ur to -at is a normal case change for this masculine noun.

What does hádegismat literally consist of as a word?

Hádegismat is a compound:

• hádegi – noon
• matur – food

First these form hádegismatur (noon-food), which is the normal word for lunch.
In accusative singular it becomes hádegismat (dropping -ur, changing to -at).

What exactly does saman add to the meaning? Is it necessary?

Saman literally means together.

• Við borðum hádegismat. – We eat lunch.
• Við borðum hádegismat saman. – We eat lunch together.

It emphasizes that the action is done jointly, not separately.

Grammatically it is not required; you can leave it out if the context already makes togetherness clear, but including it is natural if you want to stress the idea of being together.

Why is it á virkum dögum and not something like á virka daga?

The preposition á can govern either accusative or dative, depending on meaning:

• Accusative: movement onto/into something, or some other dynamic sense
• Dative: location, time, or static situation

With time expressions like on Mondays, at night, on weekdays, á regularly takes the dative.

• virkur dagur – a weekday (sg., nom.)
• virkir dagar – weekdays (pl., nom.)
• á virkum dögum – on weekdays (pl., dative)

Virkum is dative plural of virkur, and dögum is dative plural of dagur (day).
So á virkum dögum literally means on active days, idiomatically on weekdays.

What is the difference between á virkum dögum and á virku dögunum?

Both use the dative plural, but the definiteness changes:

• á virkum dögum – on weekdays (general statement, any weekdays)
• á virku dögunum – on the weekdays (more specific set of weekdays already known from context)

Your sentence uses á virkum dögum, which fits a general routine or habit.

Why is the word order Við borðum hádegismat saman á virkum dögum? Can I change it?

The word order here is Subject – Verb – Object – Adverbials, which is the default:

• Við (subject)
• borðum (verb)
• hádegismat (object)
• saman á virkum dögum (adverbs / adverbial phrase)

Icelandic has fairly flexible word order, especially for adverbs and time expressions. Variants such as:

• Við borðum saman hádegismat á virkum dögum.
• Við borðum hádegismat á virkum dögum saman.

are also possible and understandable, though some may sound more natural than others depending on emphasis. For a learner, the original order is a safe, natural pattern to copy.

The English meaning is habitual (We eat lunch together on weekdays). How does Icelandic show this? There is no separate -ing form.

Icelandic usually uses the simple present tense for:

• general truths
• repeated or habitual actions
• ongoing actions right now (if context makes that clear)

So Við borðum hádegismat saman á virkum dögum naturally means:

• We eat / have lunch together on weekdays (a regular habit).

There is no special progressive form like English are eating; you normally just use the simple present and let context show whether it is habitual or happening now.

Can I drop við the way Spanish often drops nosotros? Just Borðum hádegismat…?

In spoken Icelandic, subject pronouns are usually kept, unlike in Spanish or Italian.

• Við borðum hádegismat saman á virkum dögum. – fully natural
• Borðum hádegismat saman á virkum dögum. – might be heard:
  • as an imperative / suggestion: Let’s eat lunch together on weekdays, or
  • in a very clear context where we is already understood.

For a learner, it is safest and most natural to keep the pronoun: Við borðum …

How do I change this sentence to the past and to the future?

Past (we ate / used to eat lunch together on weekdays):

• Við borðuðum hádegismat saman á virkum dögum.

Here borða → borðuðum (1st person plural past).

Future (we will eat lunch together on weekdays):

• Við munum borða hádegismat saman á virkum dögum.

Here munum is the future auxiliary (1st person plural), followed by the infinitive borða.

How do I pronounce Við borðum hádegismat saman á virkum dögum approximately?

Very rough English-based approximation (not exact IPA, just guiding):

• Við ≈ vith (with soft th as in this)
• borðum ≈ BOR-thum (rolled r, ð like the th in this)
• hádegismat ≈ HOW-day-yis-maht
• saman ≈ SAH-man (short a, both syllables)
• á ≈ ow (as in now)
• virkum ≈ VIRK-um (rolled r, u like in put)
• dögum ≈ roughly DUGH-um:
  • ö is like German ö (between e and u),
  • final um again like um in album (but shorter).

The most foreign sounds for English speakers are typically ð (in við, borðum), the rolled r, and the vowel ö in dögum.