Við ræðum um markmið okkar saman.

We talk about our goals together.

Breakdown of Við ræðum um markmið okkar saman.

• við: we
• saman: together
• okkar: our
• ræða: to discuss
• markmið: the goal
• um: for

Questions & Answers about Við ræðum um markmið okkar saman.

What is the tense and aspect of Við ræðum um markmið okkar saman? Is it more like “We discuss…” or “We are discussing…” in English?

The verb ræðum is present tense. Icelandic doesn’t have a separate continuous/progressive tense like English.

So Við ræðum um markmið okkar saman can correspond to both:

• We discuss our goals together (habitual/general)
• We are discussing our goals together (right now / ongoing)

Context decides which English tense you choose. If you specifically want to emphasize “right now”, Icelandic often uses vera að:

• Við erum að ræða um markmið okkar saman.
  = We are (right now) discussing our goals together.

Why is the verb ræðum and not some other form like ræða or ræðir?

Ræðum is the present-tense, 1st person plural form of the verb að ræða (to discuss):

• ég ræði – I discuss
• þú ræðir – you (sg.) discuss
• hann/hún/það ræðir – he/she/it discusses
• við ræðum – we discuss
• þið ræðið – you (pl.) discuss
• þeir/þær/þau ræða – they discuss

So with the subject við (we), the only correct present form is ræðum.

What is the difference between ræða and tala? Could I say Við tölum um markmið okkar saman instead?

Both are possible, but they differ slightly in meaning and style.

• ræða (um) = to discuss (something), often a bit more formal or focused on content
  
  • Við ræðum (um) markmið okkar. – We discuss our goals.
• tala um = to talk about (something), more general and colloquial
  
  • Við tölum um markmið okkar. – We talk about our goals.

So:

• Við ræðum um markmið okkar saman. – We discuss our goals together (slightly more “serious”/structured).
• Við tölum um markmið okkar saman. – We talk about our goals together (more neutral / everyday).

Both sentences are natural.

Does ræða always need um? Could I just say Við ræðum markmið okkar saman?

No, it doesn’t always need um.

• ræða e-ð – discuss something (no preposition)
• ræða um e-ð – discuss / talk about something (with um)

Both are correct and common:

• Við ræðum markmið okkar saman.
• Við ræðum um markmið okkar saman.

Using um often makes it feel a bit closer to “talk about” and is very common in everyday speech. Without um, it can sound slightly more concise or formal, but there is a lot of overlap.

What case is markmið in here, and why doesn’t it change its form?

The preposition um takes the accusative case.

So markmið is in the accusative case as the object of um:
um markmið okkar – about our goals

The noun markmið (goal) is neuter and indeclinable in the singular nominative/accusative and in the plural nominative/accusative: the form markmið looks the same in:

• singular nominative: markmið (a goal)
• singular accusative: markmið
• plural nominative: markmið (goals)
• plural accusative: markmið

So you do not see a visible ending change here, even though the case is accusative.

Is markmið singular or plural in this sentence?

Formally it could be either, but in this sentence it is understood as plural because the meaning given to the learner is “goals”.

• eitt markmið – one goal
• tvö markmið – two goals

Both singular and plural nominative/accusative look the same (markmið), so context and translation decide whether you interpret it as “goal” or “goals”.

Why does okkar come after markmið? In English we say “our goals”, not “goals our”.

In Icelandic, the normal position of possessive pronouns like okkar (our) is after the noun:

• markmið okkar – our goals
• bíll minn – my car
• húsið þitt – your house

So markmið okkar is the standard, neutral order.

You can put okkar before the noun (okkar markmið), but then okkar is usually emphasized, something like:

• okkar markmið – our goals (as opposed to someone else’s), with focus on “our”.

For a simple statement, markmið okkar is what you want.

What is the difference between markmið okkar and markmiðin okkar?

Both mean “our goals”, but the definiteness is different:

• markmið okkar – our goals (more general, not specifically identified)
• markmiðin okkar – the goals of ours / our specific goals

-in is the definite article suffix for neuter plural (“the”):

• markmið – goals
• markmiðin – the goals

Then you add okkar after it:

• markmiðin okkar – the goals of ours / our (particular) goals

Use markmiðin okkar when you mean some known, specific goals, already identified in the conversation.
Use markmið okkar for goals in general.

What exactly does saman add here? Is it necessary?

Saman means together.

• Við ræðum um markmið okkar. – We discuss our goals.
• Við ræðum um markmið okkar saman. – We discuss our goals together.

It emphasizes that the action is done jointly (not separately or individually). It is not grammatically required, but it adds that nuance of doing it together, like “as a group / with each other”.

Can saman go somewhere else in the sentence, like Við ræðum saman um markmið okkar? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can move saman, and word order is quite flexible with adverbs:

• Við ræðum saman um markmið okkar.
• Við ræðum um markmið okkar saman.

Both are grammatical and natural.

Subtle nuance:

• Við ræðum saman um markmið okkar.
  – Slightly more emphasis on us interacting with each other (“we talk together, and the topic is our goals”).

• Við ræðum um markmið okkar saman.
  – Slightly more emphasis on doing the discussing together as a joint activity (rather than separately).

In everyday conversation, most people wouldn’t hear a big difference; both generally mean the same thing.

How would I say more explicitly “We are talking to each other about our goals”?

Several natural options, from more neutral to more explicit:

1. Við tölum saman um markmið okkar.
   – We talk together about our goals.
2. Við ræðum saman um markmið okkar.
   – We discuss our goals together / with each other.
3. Við tölum hvert við annað um markmið okkar.
   – We talk to each other about our goals.
4. Við tölum sín á milli um markmið okkar.
   – We talk among ourselves about our goals.

saman, sín á milli, and hvert við annað all give the idea of mutual interaction / “each other”.

How do you pronounce Við ræðum um markmið okkar saman?

Approximate pronunciation (in simple IPA-style):

• Við – [vɪːð] (v + long i, then soft “th” as in this)
• ræðum – [ˈraiːðʏm]
  
  • ræ like English rye
  • ð again like this
  • um with a short, rounded [ʏ] (between u and i)
• um – [ʏm] (short, rounded vowel + m)
• markmið – [ˈmar̥kmɪð]
  
  • rk: the r is voiceless and blends into k, giving a crisp rhk sound
  • ð at the end = voiced “th” as in this
• okkar – [ˈɔhkar̥]
  
  • often with a little [h]-like sound between k and the following vowel
• saman – [ˈsaːman]
  
  • sa with a long a, slightly like saa in “saa-man”

Stress is always on the first syllable of each word:
VÍð RÆðum UM MARKmið OKkar SAman (caps mark stress).

Could I leave out við and just say Ræðum um markmið okkar saman?

Normally, no. Icelandic is not a “null subject” language like Spanish; you usually need to state the subject pronoun.

• Við ræðum um markmið okkar saman. – natural
• Ræðum um markmið okkar saman. – sounds like an imperative (“Let’s discuss our goals together.”), not a plain statement.

So if you want a normal statement (“We discuss / We are discussing…”), keep við.

Is there any difference in meaning between Við ræðum um markmið okkar saman and Við erum að ræða um markmið okkar saman?

Yes, a nuance of aspect:

• Við ræðum um markmið okkar saman.
  – Present tense, can mean:

  • We (generally) discuss our goals together.
  • We are currently discussing our goals together (context-dependent).

• Við erum að ræða um markmið okkar saman.
  – More clearly ongoing right now, like English “We are discussing our goals together (at the moment).”

So the second one is the best choice if you explicitly want the English-style present continuous.