Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Við biðjum um annan matseðil.

Við – we (1st person plural pronoun).
biðjum – ask / are asking (1st person plural present tense of the verb biðja – to ask, request).
um – for / about; here it’s part of the verb phrase biðja um = to ask for something.
annan – another (masculine, accusative singular of annar = another, other).
matseðil – menu (accusative singular of matseðill, a masculine noun).

So literally: We ask for another menu.

Why is it biðjum and not biðja or biður?

Because biðjum is the correctly conjugated form for we in the present tense:

Infinitive: að biðja – to ask
1st person singular: ég bið – I ask
2nd person singular: þú biður – you ask
3rd person singular: hann / hún / það biður – he / she / it asks
1st person plural: við biðjum – we ask
2nd person plural: þið biðjið – you (pl) ask
3rd person plural: þeir / þær / þau biðja – they ask

So with við you must use biðjum.
biðja is the infinitive, and biður is a 2nd/3rd person singular form, not compatible with við.

Why do we need the preposition um after biðjum? Can I just say Við biðjum annan matseðil?

In Icelandic, að biðja um e-ð is the standard way to say to ask for something.
The preposition um is part of the verb phrase and cannot be dropped in this meaning.

að biðja einhvern um e-ð – to ask someone for something
Við biðjum um annan matseðil. – We ask for another menu.

If you remove um, Við biðjum annan matseðil sounds ungrammatical or at best very odd; it would no longer mean ask for in normal Icelandic.

What case is annan matseðil in, and how do we know?

Both annan and matseðil are in the accusative singular, masculine.

How we know:

The preposition um normally takes the accusative case.
matseðill (the dictionary form) is masculine.
Its accusative singular is matseðil.
The adjective annar must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case, so it also appears as annan (masculine, accusative singular).

So um annan matseðil = for another (accusative) menu (accusative).

Why is it annan and not annar, annur, or annað?

annar is an adjective that means another / other, and like other Icelandic adjectives, it declines for gender, case, and number.

The main nominative singular forms are:

Masculine: annar
Feminine: önnur
Neuter: annað

But in our sentence we need:

Masculine (because matseðill is masculine)
Singular
Accusative (because of um)

The masculine accusative singular form of annar is annan.
So we get annan matseðil (another menu).

Is there a missing a or the before matseðil? Why is there no article?

Icelandic does not have separate words for a and the like English.

There is no word for the indefinite article a/an.
Definiteness (the menu) is usually expressed by adding a definite ending to the noun (or noun phrase), for example:
- matseðill – a menu / menu (indefinite)
- matseðillinn – the menu (definite)

In annan matseðil, the noun is indefinite, so no article appears. English adds a: another menu, but Icelandic just uses the bare noun in the right case.

What is the base form of matseðil, and how does this noun decline?

The base (dictionary) form is matseðill (nominative singular), a strong masculine noun.

Singular (common forms):

Nominative: matseðill – the subject (e.g. Matseðillinn er langur. – The menu is long.)
Accusative: matseðil – direct object (e.g. Ég les matseðilinn. – I read the menu.)
Dative: matseðli
Genitive: matseðils

Plural (indefinite forms):

Nominative: matseðlar – menus
Accusative: matseðla
Dative: matseðlum
Genitive: matseðla

In our sentence, um annan matseðil, we are using the accusative singular form matseðil.

Could I say Við biðjum um matseðil annan instead, putting the adjective after the noun?

No, not in normal, neutral Icelandic.

The default word order is:

[adjective] + [noun]

So you should say:

annan matseðil – another menu

Putting the adjective after the noun (matseðil annan) is not standard and would sound wrong in this context. Post‑posed adjectives exist, but usually for special stylistic, poetic, or fixed‑expression reasons, not for a simple phrase like another menu.

Is Við biðjum um annan matseðil polite enough in a restaurant, or is there a more typical polite phrase?

It is grammatically correct, and in context people will understand it, but in everyday interaction it can sound a bit bare/direct as a request.

More natural and polite options in a restaurant would be:

Gætum við fengið annan matseðil?
– Could we get another menu?
Má ég fá annan matseðil, takk?
– May I have another menu, please?
Gætum við fengið annan matseðil, takk?
– Could we get another menu, please?

Using má ég fá or gætum við fengið plus takk is very typical and feels softer and more polite.

Does annan here mean another one of the same menu or a different kind of menu?

Context decides, just as in English.

In a normal restaurant situation, annan matseðil is usually understood as one more copy of the same menu (e.g. because there are two people and only one menu).
If you specifically want a different kind of menu (for example, a lunch menu instead of a dinner menu), you’d usually specify that:
- Við biðjum um annan matseðil, til dæmis hádegismatseðilinn.
  – We ask for a different menu, for example the lunch menu.

But the default reading of annan matseðil in this context is another copy rather than a different type.

How would I say I ask for another menu or They ask for another menu using this pattern?

Using the same structure with að biðja um:

Ég bið um annan matseðil.
– I ask for another menu.
Þú biður um annan matseðil.
– You (singular) ask for another menu.
Hann / hún / það biður um annan matseðil.
– He / she / it asks for another menu.
Við biðjum um annan matseðil.
– We ask for another menu.
Þið biðjið um annan matseðil.
– You (plural) ask for another menu.
Þeir / þær / þau biðja um annan matseðil.
– They ask for another menu.

The only part that changes is the verb biðja; um annan matseðil stays the same.

How do you pronounce biðjum and matseðil?

Approximate pronunciation (using English-friendly hints):

biðjum:
- bið‑ – the ð is a soft th sound as in this; i like i in bit.
- ‑jum – roughly like yum in English.
- Together: roughly BI-thyum (with a soft th, not like thin).
matseðil:
- mat‑ – like maht, with a as in father.
- ‑seð‑ – s as in see and ð as in this again; the e is like e in bed.
- ‑il – like ill but shorter; almost ihl.
- Together: MAHT-se-thil (again th as in this).

Stress in Icelandic is almost always on the first syllable, so: BİÐ‑jum, MÁT‑se-ðil.

Can I drop við and just say Biðjum um annan matseðil?

Yes, but then the sentence changes its meaning/function.

Við biðjum um annan matseðil.
– We ask for another menu. (normal statement with við as the explicit subject)
Biðjum um annan matseðil.
– This is interpreted as a 1st person plural imperative:
– Let’s ask for another menu. / Let’s request another menu.

Icelandic is not generally a “drop‑subject” language – you normally keep the pronoun.
But the first person plural imperative is formed by taking the 1st person plural present form of the verb without the pronoun, so Biðjum … is understood as Let’s ask ….

Is there a difference between using að biðja um and að panta for food and menus?

Yes, there is a nuance:

að biðja um e-ð – to ask for something
- Used for requests in general: another menu, some water, help, etc.
- Example: Við biðjum um vatn. – We ask for water.
að panta e-ð – to order something (in the sense of placing an order)
- Often used for ordering food, drinks, tickets, hotel rooms, etc.
- Example: Við pöntum mat. – We order food.

For another menu, you don’t usually “order” it; you just ask for it, so að biðja um annan matseðil or að fá annan matseðil is appropriate.

Could I use fá instead of biðja um to sound more natural?

Yes, and it often sounds more natural and polite in everyday speech.

Common patterns:

Má ég fá annan matseðil?
– May I have another menu?
Get ég fengið annan matseðil?
– Can I get another menu?
Gætum við fengið annan matseðil, takk?
– Could we get another menu, please?

So while Við biðjum um annan matseðil is correct, most people in a restaurant would more likely say something with fá or fá … takk rather than the plain Við biðjum um ….