Breakdown of Við göngum lengra í skóginn á morgun.
Questions & Answers about Við göngum lengra í skóginn á morgun.
What does göngum mean, and what form of the verb is it?
Göngum is the 1st person plural present tense form of ganga.
- ganga = to walk
- við göngum = we walk / we are walking
In this sentence, it can also be translated naturally as we go on foot.
Why is the verb in the present tense if the sentence is about tomorrow?
Icelandic often uses the present tense for the future when a time expression already makes the future meaning clear.
So:
- Við göngum ... á morgun = We’re walking / We’ll walk ... tomorrow
This is very normal Icelandic. English does something similar in sentences like We’re leaving tomorrow.
Does ganga mean walk or go?
Its basic meaning is walk or go on foot.
So in this sentence, the most literal idea is that we are walking farther into the forest tomorrow. Depending on context, English might translate it as walk or sometimes just go, but Icelandic ganga specifically suggests movement on foot.
What does lengra mean here?
Lengra means farther or further.
Here it is the comparative form, so it compares the distance with something understood from context:
- langt = far
- lengra = farther / further
In this sentence, lengra modifies the verb idea göngum, so the sense is we walk farther.
Why is lengra used instead of an adjective form that matches skóginn?
Because lengra is functioning as an adverb, not as an adjective.
It describes how far we walk, not what kind of forest it is.
So:
- lengra = farther, modifying göngum
- it does not need to agree with skóginn
If it were describing a noun, then adjective agreement would matter. Here, it is describing the action.
Why is it í skóginn and not í skóginum?
Because Icelandic uses different cases after í depending on whether there is movement or location.
- í + accusative = into somewhere, with movement
- í + dative = in somewhere, location
So:
- í skóginn = into the forest
- í skóginum = in the forest
Since the sentence describes movement into the forest, the accusative skóginn is correct.
What does the ending -inn on skóginn mean?
The ending -inn is the definite article, meaning the.
Icelandic usually adds the to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.
So:
- skógur = forest
- skóginn = the forest (here in the accusative singular)
That is why Icelandic does not need a separate word for the before skóginn.
What does á morgun mean, and is that the normal way to say tomorrow?
Yes. Á morgun is the normal expression for tomorrow.
It is a fixed phrase, so learners should just memorize it as a unit.
A useful comparison is:
- á morgun = tomorrow
- í morgun = this morning
Those two can be easy to confuse, so it helps to learn them together.
Do I need to include við? Doesn’t göngum already show that it means we?
In normal modern Icelandic, yes, you usually keep the subject pronoun.
Even though göngum clearly shows 1st person plural, Icelandic is not a language where subject pronouns are usually dropped in ordinary sentences.
So Við göngum ... is the normal full sentence.
Can the word order change?
Yes. Icelandic word order is fairly flexible, especially with time expressions like á morgun.
For example, you can also say:
Á morgun göngum við lengra í skóginn.
That still means the same thing. The main difference is emphasis: putting á morgun first highlights tomorrow.
A useful thing to notice is that when something is moved to the front, the finite verb göngum still comes early in the sentence. That is a common Icelandic pattern.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning IcelandicMaster Icelandic — from Við göngum lengra í skóginn á morgun to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions