Questions & Answers about Við göngum í skóginn eftir vinnu.
Why is it göngum and not ganga?
Ganga is the dictionary form, meaning to walk or to go on foot.
In the sentence, the verb has to match við (we), so it becomes göngum, which is the 1st person plural present tense:
- ég geng = I walk
- þú gengur = you walk
- við göngum = we walk
So Við göngum means we walk.
What does við mean here?
Við means we.
It is the subject of the sentence, so it tells you who is doing the action:
- Við göngum = We walk
Be careful not to confuse við meaning we with the preposition við meaning by, at, with, which is a different word in use even though it looks the same.
Why is it í skóginn and not í skóginum?
This is a very important Icelandic pattern.
The preposition í can take different cases depending on meaning:
- accusative = movement into/to something
- dative = location in something
So:
- í skóginn = into the forest / to the forest
- í skóginum = in the forest
In your sentence, í skóginn shows movement toward and into the forest, not just being located there.