Questions & Answers about Við erum ósammála í dag.
What does við mean, and why is it við here and not okkur?
Við is the subject pronoun we in the nominative case.
Icelandic personal pronouns change form depending on case:
- Nominative (subject): við = we
- Accusative/Dative (object): okkur = us
Because we are doing the “being” (we are the subject of erum), the nominative form við is required.
You would use okkur when it is an object, for example: Hann sér okkur (He sees us).
Why is the verb erum and not er or eru?
Erum is the 1st person plural form of the verb vera (to be) in the present tense.
The full present-tense conjugation is:
- ég er – I am
- þú ert – you (sg.) are
- hann / hún / það er – he / she / it is
- við erum – we are
- þið eruð – you (pl.) are
- þeir / þær / þau eru – they are
Since the subject is við (we), you must use erum: Við erum …
What kind of word is ósammála, and does it change form?