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Um helgina viljum við smíða lítið borð fyrir stofuna.

Um helgina viljum við smíða lítið borð fyrir stofuna.
This weekend we want to build a small table for the living room.
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Questions & Answers about Um helgina viljum við smíða lítið borð fyrir stofuna.

Why does um helgina mean on/over the weekend, and what case does it take?

Um often means around/over/during a time period. With time expressions like this, um governs the accusative.
So helgina is accusative singular of helgi (weekend).

Why is it helgina and not just helgi?

Helgina is the definite form (the weekend), built by adding the suffixed definite article to the noun.

  • helgi = weekend (indefinite)
  • helgin = the weekend (nominative)
  • helgina = the weekend (accusative)

With um you need the accusative, so you get um helgina.

What’s the difference between um helgina and um helgi?

Both can be used, but they feel a bit different:

  • um helgina = this/the weekend in a more concrete way (often “this weekend” from context)
  • um helgi = more like on weekends / at the weekend in a general sense (depending on context)

In everyday speech, um helgina is very common for a specific weekend.

Why does the verb come second: Um helgina viljum við...?

Icelandic is generally a V2 (verb-second) language in main clauses: the finite verb tends to be the second “slot” in the sentence.
Here, the time phrase Um helgina is put first, so the finite verb viljum comes next, and then the subject við follows:

  • Um helgina (slot 1) + viljum (slot 2) + við (subject) + …
What exactly is viljum (form, tense, person)?

Viljum is from the verb vilja (to want).
It is present tense, 1st person plural: we want.

(You might also see við viljum in neutral word order when nothing else is fronted.)

Why is there no word like to before smíða?

After verbs like vilja (want), Icelandic typically uses the bare infinitive (no equivalent of English to):

  • vilja smíða = want to build/make

So smíða is the infinitive: to build / to make (especially by craftsmanship).

What’s the nuance of smíða compared with other verbs like byggja?

Smíða is often used for making/building something by hand, especially woodworking or crafting an object (tables, shelves, etc.).
Byggja is more strongly associated with building structures (houses/buildings), though it can sometimes be broader.

So for a table, smíða sounds very natural.

Why is it lítið borð and not lítinn borð or lítil borð?

Adjectives agree with nouns in gender, number, and case.
Borð (table) is neuter. In this sentence it functions as a direct object, so it’s accusative singular.
Neuter accusative singular of lítill is lítið:

  • lítið (neuter acc. sg.) + borð (neuter acc. sg.)
How do we know borð is neuter, and does it change in the accusative?

The gender is lexical: borð is a neuter noun. Many neuter nouns have the same form in nominative and accusative singular, and borð is one of them:

  • nominative: borð
  • accusative: borð

You mainly see the case here through the adjective lítið and the preposition patterns.

Why is it fyrir stofuna (accusative), and what does fyrir mean here?

Fyrir can take different cases with different meanings. Here it means for (intended for / meant for), and that commonly uses the accusative.
So stofuna is accusative singular definite of stofa (living room).

What does the ending -una in stofuna represent?

It’s basically case + definiteness packed into the noun form.

  • base noun: stofa (living room)
  • definite nominative: stofan (the living room)
  • definite accusative: stofuna (the living room, as an object after certain prepositions)

So stofuna = the living room in the accusative.

Could I also say í stofuna or fyrir stófu instead?

They would change the meaning or sound unnatural:

  • í stofuna = into the living room (motion/direction), not “for the living room”
  • fyrir stófu is not the normal way to say it; you’d typically use fyrir stofuna for “for the living room,” or sometimes handa stofunni if you mean “for the living room/household” in a more “intended recipient” sense.

In this sentence, fyrir stofuna is the straightforward, idiomatic choice.

How is this sentence pronounced (roughly), especially viljum and smíða?

A rough guide (very approximate):

  • Um helgina: um HELL-gih-na (stress on the first syllable of the main word: HEL-)
  • viljum: the -lj- is a palatal sound; many learners hear it like VIL-yum (but it’s tighter than an English y)
  • smíða: the í is a long ee sound, like SMEE-tha (with Icelandic ð being a soft voiced “th” as in this)