Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Eftir prófið ræðum við niðurstöðuna saman í hópnum. - After the exam we discuss the result together in the group.

The first element is often something like a time or place expression.
The second element must be the finite verb.
The subject (here: við) comes after the verb if something else is in first position.

In this sentence:

Eftir prófið = first element (a time phrase: after the exam)
ræðum = second element (the finite verb)
við = subject

So:

Eftir prófið ræðum við niðurstöðuna… = correct
Eftir prófið við ræðum niðurstöðuna… = ungrammatical
If you put the subject first instead, the verb still comes second:
- Við ræðum niðurstöðuna saman í hópnum eftir prófið. = also correct

Is ræðum present tense or future tense? Why does it translate as “we will discuss”?

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

Icelandic very often uses the present tense for future events, especially when the future time is made clear by a time expression such as eftir prófið (after the exam). So:

Eftir prófið ræðum við niðurstöðuna.
Literally: After the exam we discuss the result.
Naturally in English: After the exam we’ll discuss the result.

Using the auxiliary verb munu for a future meaning is possible but not necessary:

Eftir prófið munum við ræða niðurstöðuna.
= We will discuss the result after the exam.

Both are fine; the original sentence just uses the simple present with a future meaning.

What is the infinitive of ræðum, and how is this verb conjugated?

The verb is að ræða (to discuss, to talk about). Present tense (indicative) looks like this:

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

So ræðum is we discuss (1st person plural present).

You will also see the same form ræðum as 1st person plural in the subjunctive, but in this sentence it’s simply present indicative with a future meaning.

What case is niðurstöðuna, and why does it have the ending -una?

Niðurstaða means result and is a feminine noun.

In the sentence, niðurstöðuna is:

singular
definite (“the result”)
in the accusative case
and it is the direct object of ræðum (we discuss what? → the result).

The accusative singular definite of niðurstaða is:

niðurstaða (nom. sg. indefinite)
niðurstöðuna (acc. sg. definite)

So the ending -una is the accusative singular definite ending for this type of feminine noun: niðurstað-a → niðurstöð-una.

Could it also be “the results” rather than “the result” in Icelandic?

Yes, that would be a different (but very natural) choice:

niðurstöður = results (plural, indefinite)
niðurstöðurnar = the results (plural, definite)

So you could say:

Eftir prófið ræðum við niðurstöðurnar saman í hópnum.
= After the exam we’ll discuss the results together in the group.

The original sentence, with niðurstöðuna, focuses on one result (or the outcome as a single whole). Both versions are grammatically correct; it’s just a matter of meaning and style.

Why is it prófið and not just próf? What form is that?

Próf is a neuter noun meaning exam / test.

Forms (singular):

próf – exam (nominative/accusative singular, indefinite)
prófið – the exam (nominative/accusative singular, definite)

In eftir prófið we have:

prófið = the exam
It’s in the accusative singular definite
It is governed by the preposition eftir (after).

So eftir prófið means after the exam, referring to a particular, known exam. If you said eftir próf, it would sound more like after an exam (less specific).

Why is prófið in the accusative? How does eftir work with cases?

The preposition eftir can govern different cases depending on meaning, but in a common temporal sense (“after [a time/event]”), it very often takes the accusative:

eftir prófið – after the exam
eftir helgina – after the weekend
eftir jólin – after Christmas

So prófið is accusative singular (and definite) because eftir is the preposition that controls the case here.

You will meet eftir with other cases in other meanings (e.g. “after someone” in the sense of “looking for them” usually takes the dative), but for a straightforward time expression like eftir prófið, accusative is standard and very idiomatic.

What does saman add to the meaning? Could we leave it out?

Saman means together.

ræðum við niðurstöðuna – we discuss the result
ræðum við niðurstöðuna saman – we discuss the result together

In this sentence we also have í hópnum (“in the group”), which already implies a group setting. So:

Eftir prófið ræðum við niðurstöðuna í hópnum. – OK
Eftir prófið ræðum við niðurstöðuna saman í hópnum. – OK, with extra emphasis that the group members discuss it jointly.

You may feel saman í hópnum is a bit redundant, but it’s natural and idiomatic; saman highlights the cooperation.

Why is it í hópnum and not í hópinn or just í hóp?

Key points:

Hópur = group, a masculine noun.
The preposition í (in / into) changes case depending on meaning:
- í + accusative = movement into something
- í + dative = location in something

Here, í hópnum means in the group (a static location, no movement), so the noun is in the dative:

hópur – group (nom. sg.)
í hópinn – into the group (accusative: motion)
í hópnum – in the group (dative: location)

Because we’re talking about discussing within an existing group, we use í hópnum (dative, definite): in the group.

Why is hópnum definite? Could it be just í hópi?

í hópnum = in the group (a specific group that speaker and listener presumably know about)
í hópi = in a group (some group, not specifically identified)

So the sentence:

Eftir prófið ræðum við niðurstöðuna saman í hópnum.
= After the exam we’ll discuss the result together in the group (e.g. your class group, your project group).

If the context is more general, you could say:

Eftir prófið ræðum við niðurstöðuna saman í hópi.
= … together in a group (not a particular, previously identified group).

Both are grammatically correct; the original uses the definite form because the group is understood to be a known one.

Is “saman í hópnum” redundant? Could we just say one of them?

You have a few stylistic options:

Eftir prófið ræðum við niðurstöðuna í hópnum.
– Focuses on the setting (in the group).
Eftir prófið ræðum við niðurstöðuna saman.
– Emphasizes that you do it together, but doesn’t explicitly mention in a group.
Eftir prófið ræðum við niðurstöðuna saman í hópnum.
– Says both: together and in the group.

So yes, saman í hópnum partly overlaps in meaning, but it isn’t wrong; it just sounds like: we will all, as a group, discuss it together—a bit more emphatic and explicit.

Are there other correct word orders for this sentence?

Yes. Icelandic allows different word orders as long as the V2 rule (finite verb in second position) is respected. Some possibilities:

Við ræðum niðurstöðuna saman í hópnum eftir prófið.
(Subject first; verb still second.)
Í hópnum ræðum við niðurstöðuna saman eftir prófið.
(Place first, then verb, then subject.)
Niðurstöðuna ræðum við saman í hópnum eftir prófið.
(Object fronted for emphasis.)

All of these are grammatical; they differ in what is emphasized or what you want to present as the starting point of the sentence (time, place, object, or subject). The original:

Eftir prófið ræðum við niðurstöðuna saman í hópnum.

puts the time (after the exam) in focus first.

How would you explicitly use a future auxiliary like “will” in Icelandic for this sentence?

You can add the auxiliary verb munu to express the future more explicitly:

Eftir prófið munum við ræða niðurstöðuna saman í hópnum.

Breakdown:

munum – 1st person plural of munu
við munum ræða – we will discuss

Meaning is essentially the same; the version ræðum við is just a bit more neutral and very typical in Icelandic when the future time is already clear from context (eftir prófið). Both are correct.

How roughly do you pronounce the tricky words ræðum, niðurstöðuna, and hópnum?

Very approximate guide (not strict IPA, just English-based hints):

ræðum
- ræð- like ryth- in writhe (a voiced th sound, as in this) plus a light r
- -um like oom in broom but shorter
  → roughly: “RAI-thum” (with th as in this).
niðurstöðuna
- niður ≈ NITH-ur (first ð like th in this, second may be very soft or almost gone)
- stöð ≈ stœth (rounded vowel like in French peur
  - th in this)
- -una ≈ oo-na (short)
  → roughly: “NITH-ur-stœth-oo-na”, said more smoothly: nið-ur-STÖE-thu-na.
hópnum
- hóp with ó like o in go (a long vowel): hohp
- -num ≈ nuhm (short)
  → roughly: “HOHP-num” (h is pronounced).

Native pronunciation is smoother and with specific Icelandic vowel qualities, but these approximations should help you recognize and reproduce the words in context.