Questions & Answers about Við sleppum við mikla umferð ef við förum snemma.
Sleppa við is a fixed expression meaning to avoid, to get out of, or to escape having to deal with something.
So in this sentence, við sleppum við mikla umferð means we avoid heavy traffic.
This is useful to learn as a chunk:
- sleppa við eitthvað = avoid something
- sleppa við að gera eitthvað = avoid doing something
Examples:
- Ég slapp við biðröðina. = I avoided the queue.
- Við sluppum við að borga. = We avoided having to pay.
No. The two við words have different jobs.
Við at the beginning = we
This is the subject pronoun.við after sleppum = with/from/against as a preposition, but in this expression it is just part of the verb phrase sleppa við.
So:
- Við = we
- sleppum við = avoid
This is very common in Icelandic: the same form can be a pronoun in one place and a preposition in another.