Við viljum búa þar sem grasið er grænna.

to be

Breakdown of Við viljum búa þar sem grasið er grænna.

• vilja: to want
• við: we
• búa: to live

Questions & Answers about Við viljum búa þar sem grasið er grænna.

Why is it viljum and not vilja in this sentence?

Viljum is the 1st person plural present form of the verb vilja (to want).

Icelandic present tense of vilja:

• ég vil – I want
• þú vilt – you (sg) want
• hann/hún/það vill – he/she/it wants
• við viljum – we want
• þið viljið – you (pl) want
• þeir/þær/þau vilja – they want

Since the subject is við (we), you must use viljum to agree with it.

Why is there no að before búa? In English we say “want to live”.

In Icelandic, some verbs take a bare infinitive (without að) after them. Vilja is one of these.

So you say:

• Við viljum búa – We want to live
  not
• ✗ Við viljum að búa

Other verbs that usually take a bare infinitive include mega (may), geta (can), skulu (shall), eiga (ought to), etc.

What exactly does búa mean here, and how is it different from other verbs for “live”?