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Við tökum auka penna með okkur, annars gleymum við að skrifa símanúmerið.

Við tökum auka penna með okkur, annars gleymum við að skrifa símanúmerið.
We take extra pens with us; otherwise we forget to write down the phone number.

Breakdown of Við tökum auka penna með okkur, annars gleymum við að skrifa símanúmerið.

við
we
skrifa
to write
með
with
taka
to take
okkur
us
penninn
the pen
gleyma
to forget
annars
otherwise
símanúmerið
the phone number
auka
extra
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Questions & Answers about Við tökum auka penna með okkur, annars gleymum við að skrifa símanúmerið.

Why is Við (we) used twice? Can I drop the second one?

Icelandic often repeats the subject pronoun in each main clause. Here you have two coordinated main clauses:

  • Við tökum ...
  • annars gleymum við ... You generally keep the subject in both. In casual speech you might sometimes omit it if it’s very clear, but the normal, clean written style is to repeat við.
Why are the verbs tökum and gleymum in the present tense if the meaning is about the future?
Icelandic commonly uses the present tense for future meaning when the context makes the time clear (plans, habits, conditional/otherwise statements, etc.). So Við tökum ... annars gleymum við ... is natural without any explicit future marker.
Why is it penna and not pennar?

Because penna is the accusative plural of penni (pen). The verb taka (to take) typically takes a direct object in the accusative, so:

  • nominative plural: pennar
  • accusative plural: penna
What is auka doing here, and why doesn’t it change ending?
auka means extra / spare in expressions like auka penni (an extra pen). In this use it’s commonly treated as an indeclinable modifier (it doesn’t inflect like most adjectives), so you get auka penna regardless of case/number.
How does með okkur work? Why okkur and not við?

með (with) governs the accusative case, so the pronoun must be accusative:

  • nominative: við (we)
  • accusative: okkur (us)

Also, taka ... með sér / taka ... með okkur is a very common Icelandic pattern meaning take ... along (with us).

Could the word order be Við tökum með okkur auka penna instead?

Yes. Both are natural:

  • Við tökum auka penna með okkur.
  • Við tökum með okkur auka penna. The choice is mostly about information flow and emphasis. Putting með okkur earlier can make the “taking along” idea feel more immediate.
What does annars mean here, and why is the verb before the subject in annars gleymum við?

annars means otherwise / if not / else. When annars comes first in the clause, Icelandic follows the V2 rule (the finite verb comes second), causing inversion:

  • annars
    • gleymum
      • við So annars gleymum við ... is the standard order.
Why is there að before skrifa?

After many verbs, Icelandic uses að + infinitive to express to + verb. gleyma commonly uses:

  • gleyma að gera eitthvað = forget to do something
    So gleymum við að skrifa ... corresponds to we forget to write ...
Does gleyma take a case like other Icelandic verbs?

Yes. With a noun/pronoun object, gleyma typically takes the dative:

  • Ég gleymi því. (I forget it.)
    But with an infinitive clause, it commonly appears as gleyma að + infinitive, like in your sentence.
Why is it símanúmerið with -ið (definite)? Could it be without it?

símanúmerið is the phone number (definite). Icelandic often uses the definite form when a specific item is implied (e.g., the number we’re dealing with right now). Without the ending:

  • símanúmer = a phone number (indefinite) Both can be grammatical, but símanúmerið strongly suggests a specific number.
How is símanúmerið built, and how do I pronounce it?

It’s a compound:

  • sími (phone) + númer (number) + -ið (the, neuter singular definite)

A rough pronunciation guide:

  • síma-: SEE-ma
  • -númer-: NOO-mer
  • -ið: a soft -ith sound (like th in this, not thin)