Questions & Answers about Skulum við byrja á súpu?
What does skulum mean here?
Skulum is the we form of the verb skulu. In sentences like this, it is often used to make a suggestion, so it works a lot like English shall we or let’s.
So:
- Við skulum byrja ... = Let’s start ...
- Skulum við byrja ...? = Shall we start ...?
It is not a direct word-for-word match with English, but in this sentence it signals a polite proposal.
Why is the word order Skulum við ... instead of Við skulum ...?
Because this is a yes/no question.
In Icelandic, yes/no questions usually put the finite verb first:
- Við skulum byrja á súpu. = Let’s start with soup.
- Skulum við byrja á súpu? = Shall we start with soup?
So the subject við comes after the verb in the question.
What does byrja á mean?