Við tökum stutta pásu og borðum nestið meðan við horfum á útsýnið.

We take a short break and eat the packed lunch while we look at the view.

Breakdown of Við tökum stutta pásu og borðum nestið meðan við horfum á útsýnið.

• borða: to eat
• við: we
• taka: to take
• og: and

Questions & Answers about Við tökum stutta pásu og borðum nestið meðan við horfum á útsýnið.

Why do tökum, borðum, and horfum all end in -um?

Because the subject is við = we.

In the present tense, Icelandic verbs often take -um in the 1st person plural:

• við tökum = we take
• við borðum = we eat
• við horfum = we look/watch

The dictionary forms are:

• taka = to take
• borða = to eat
• horfa = to look / to watch

So these are just the correctly conjugated present-tense forms for we.

Why is it stutta pásu instead of stutt pása?

Because pásu is not the basic dictionary form of the noun.

The noun is:

• pása = a break, pause

But after taka in this sentence, it is the direct object, so it appears in the accusative singular:

• pásu

The adjective has to agree with the noun in gender, number, and case, so:

• stuttur = short (dictionary form, masculine)
• stutt / stutta etc. = other inflected forms

So:

• stutta pásu = a short break

Is taka pásu a fixed expression?