Við borðum kvöldmat rétt áður en við förum í bíó.

to eat

Breakdown of Við borðum kvöldmat rétt áður en við förum í bíó.

• við: we
• fara: to go
• í: to

Questions & Answers about Við borðum kvöldmat rétt áður en við förum í bíó.

Why is it borðum and not borða?

Borðum is the 1st person plural present form of borða (to eat).

Icelandic verbs change form depending on person and number. Since the subject is við (we), the verb has to match it:

• ég borða = I eat
• við borðum = we eat

So Við borðum literally means we eat.

Why is it kvöldmat and not kvöldmatur?

Because kvöldmat is the accusative form, and here it is the direct object of borðum.

The dictionary form is kvöldmatur (dinner / evening meal), but after a verb like borða (to eat), Icelandic uses the accusative:

• kvöldmatur = nominative
• kvöldmat = accusative

So:

• Við borðum kvöldmat = We eat dinner

This is a very common pattern in Icelandic: the form of the noun changes depending on its role in the sentence.

What does rétt mean here? Does it mean correct?