Við sleppum við mikla umferð ef við förum snemma.

we

Breakdown of Við sleppum við mikla umferð ef við förum snemma.

• snemma: early
• ef: if
• fara: to leave

Questions & Answers about Við sleppum við mikla umferð ef við förum snemma.

What does sleppa við mean here?

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.

Why does við appear twice? Does it mean the same thing both times?

No. The two við words have different jobs.

1. Við at the beginning = we
   This is the subject pronoun.

2. 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.

Why is it sleppum and not something like ?