Við höfum oft ferðast um Ísland á sumrin.

We have often traveled around Iceland in the summers.

Breakdown of Við höfum oft ferðast um Ísland á sumrin.

• við: we
• hafa: to have
• á: in
• sumarið: the summer
• oft: often
• ferðast: to travel
• um: around
• Ísland: Iceland

Questions & Answers about Við höfum oft ferðast um Ísland á sumrin.

Why are there two verbs in höfum oft ferðast? What does höfum ferðast literally mean?

Höfum ferðast is a present perfect form, made from:

• höfum – the present tense of hafa (to have) for við (we)
• ferðast – the supine (a kind of non‑finite form) of ferðast (to travel)

Literally, við höfum ferðast = we have travelled.

So the sentence Við höfum oft ferðast um Ísland á sumrin corresponds to English We have often travelled around Iceland in the summers.

How is höfum formed, and why is it used with við?

Höfum is the 1st person plural present of hafa (to have).

Present tense of hafa:

• ég hef – I have
• þú hefur – you have (sg.)
• hann/hún/það hefur – he/she/it has
• við höfum – we have
• þið hafið – you have (pl.)
• þeir/þær/þau hafa – they have

Because the subject is við (we), the verb must agree in person and number, so you use höfum.

What kind of verb is ferðast, and how is it different from just ferða or ferð?

Ferðast is a -st middle/reflexive verb. Many Icelandic verbs end in -st and are often translated with “to X oneself” or “to X (intransitively)”.

• ferð is a noun: ferð = a trip, a journey
• að ferða is not used as a verb on its own
• að ferðast is the verb: to travel, to go on trips

So við höfum oft ferðast = we have often travelled / gone on trips.

You will see many verbs like this: hitta (to meet) vs. hettast (to meet each other), færa (to move something) vs. færast (to move, shift), etc.

Why is the adverb oft between höfum and ferðast? Could it go somewhere else?

The finite verb (here: höfum) has to be in second position in main clauses (the so‑called V2 rule). Adverbs like oft usually come after the finite verb and before non‑finite verbs.

So:

• Við höfum oft ferðast … is the most natural order.

Other possibilities:

• Við höfum ferðast oft um Ísland á sumrin. – understandable, but less neutral; the focus shifts slightly onto ferðast.
• You cannot move oft in front of höfum without changing more of the sentence, because then höfum would no longer be in second position.

So the standard pattern is:
Subject – finite verb – adverb – main verb – rest of the sentence.

Why is the preposition um used with Ísland here? What does um mean?

Um is a preposition that, among other uses, can mean:

• around (spatially)
• about, concerning

In this sentence, um Ísland means around Iceland – travelling around the country, not just within it.

Um always takes the accusative case, so the noun that follows must be in the accusative form (here: Ísland, which looks the same in nominative and accusative).

Why is it um Ísland and not um Íslandi?

Because:

1. um governs the accusative case.
2. The accusative singular of Ísland is Ísland (same as nominative).
3. Íslandi is the dative form, which would be used after prepositions that take the dative or in other syntactic roles, but not after um.

So:

• um Ísland – correct (accusative)
• um Íslandi – incorrect

Why is there no article with Ísland? Why not something like um landið Ísland?

Ísland is a proper name (the name of a country). In Icelandic, as in English, proper names normally don’t take the article.

• Ísland = Iceland
• landið = the country / the land

You could say something like um landið (around the country), but that is a more general phrase and doesn’t name the country. To specifically say “around Iceland”, you just use the proper name Ísland, without an article: um Ísland.

What does á sumrin literally mean, and why is it not just á sumar?

Á sumrin literally means “in the summers” / “during the summers” – i.e. habitually every summer, not just one specific summer.

• sumar – summer (neuter, singular)
• sumrin – accusative plural definite: the summers

Preposition á + accusative can express duration or repeated time:

• á sumrin – in the summers (repeated, over several years)
• á veturna – in the winters

If you used í sumar, that would mean “this summer” (one particular summer).
So the sentence is about something you do many times, every summer, not just once.

What is the grammatical form of sumrin?

The noun sumar (summer) is neuter:

• Singular
  
  • nom/acc: sumar
  • dat: sumri
  • gen: sumars
• Plural
  
  • nom/acc: sumur
  • dat: sumrum
  • gen: sumra

With the definite article attached:

• nom/acc plural definite: sumrin
• dat plural definite: sumrunum
• gen plural definite: sumranna

So sumrin is nominative/accusative plural definite: “the summers”.
After á with this time‑expression meaning (“in/during”), the accusative is used, hence á sumrin.

Why is á used with sumrin? Could you say í sumrin?

For time expressions, á is very commonly used with seasons and times of day, often with the plural definite to mean “in Xs, habitually”:

• á morgnana – in the mornings
• á kvöldin – in the evenings
• á veturna – in the winters
• á sumrin – in the summers

You would not normally say í sumrin for this habitual meaning. Í is used in other time expressions, such as:

• í sumar – this summer
• í vetur – this winter

So for the idea “every summer / in the summers (generally)”, á sumrin is the natural phrase.

Does Við höfum oft ferðast um Ísland á sumrin mean something happening in the past, or something we still do?

In Icelandic, the present perfect (höfum ferðast) can cover both:

1. Past experiences up to now, possibly not continuing:

   • We have often travelled around Iceland in the summers (up to this point in our lives).

2. A habit up to and including the present:

   • We often travel around Iceland in the summers. (and probably still do)

Context usually clarifies which nuance is intended. The sentence by itself is compatible with both readings, very similar to English “We have often travelled …”.

Could you say this sentence with a simple past instead of höfum ferðast? How would it change the meaning?

Yes. A simple past version would be:

• Við ferðuðumst oft um Ísland á sumrin.

Differences in nuance:

• Við höfum oft ferðast … – focus on experience up to now; similar to English present perfect.
• Við ferðuðumst oft … – simple past; sounds more like you are talking about a past period, often with the implication that it may be over (e.g. “When we were younger, we often travelled…”).

Both are grammatically fine; context decides which is better.

How is Við höfum oft ferðast um Ísland á sumrin pronounced, especially við, höfum, ferðast, Ísland, and sumrin?

Approximate pronunciations (in simple English‑style spelling):

• Við – like vith with a soft th (as in this), not thin.
• höfum – roughly hœ-vum:
  • hœ like the vowel in British bird (but rounded), or between her and hurt
  • vum with a short u as in put.
• ferðast – roughly fer-thast:
  • fer like fair but shorter and more like fehr
  • ð is soft th as in this
  • final -ast like ast
• Ísland – EES-land:
  • Í is a long ee sound
  • sland like English slant but with a d at the end (often a bit softened).
• sumrin – roughly SOOM-rin:
  • u is between u in put and oo in book
  • rin like rin in ring (without the final g).

Stress is always on the first syllable: VIð, HÖfum, FERðast, ÍSland, SUMrin.