Breakdown of Við skulum skoða samninginn aftur á morgun.
Questions & Answers about Við skulum skoða samninginn aftur á morgun.
What does við skulum mean here?
It is the normal Icelandic way to say let's when you are including yourself and at least one other person.
So Við skulum ... means Let’s ...
Literally, skulum comes from the verb skulu, which often has meanings related to shall / should / will, but in this pattern it works as an exhortation or suggestion:
- Við skulum fara. = Let’s go.
- Við skulum skoða ... = Let’s look at / review ...
Is skulum a form of skulu?
Why is skoða in the infinitive?
Because after skulum, Icelandic uses the infinitive of the main verb.
So:
- skulum skoða not
- skulum skoðum
This is similar to how English uses a base verb after let’s:
- Let’s look not
- Let’s looking
Also, there is no að here. After modal-like verbs such as skulu, the following verb is normally just the bare infinitive.
Why not just use an imperative form of skoða?
Because Icelandic does not normally use a simple 1st-person plural imperative the way English uses let’s.
Instead, Icelandic uses:
- Við skulum + infinitive
So if you want to say Let’s review the contract, the natural structure is:
- Við skulum skoða samninginn.
Why is skulum in second position?
This is because Icelandic main clauses usually follow the V2 rule: the finite verb tends to come in second position.
Here the first element is Við, so the finite verb skulum comes second:
- Við | skulum | skoða samninginn aftur á morgun.
If you start with a different element, the verb still tends to stay second:
- Á morgun skulum við skoða samninginn aftur.
That word order is very typical of Icelandic.
Why is it samninginn and not samningur?
Because samninginn is the direct object of skoða, and skoða takes the accusative.
The basic dictionary form is:
- samningur = contract / agreement
(nominative singular, indefinite)
But in this sentence you need:
- accusative singular: samning
- accusative singular definite: samninginn
So:
- samningur = a contract as subject form
- samninginn = the contract as object form here
What does the ending -inn mean in samninginn?
It is the suffixed definite article.
In Icelandic, the is often attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.
So:
- samningur = a contract
- samningurinn = the contract (nominative)
- samninginn = the contract (accusative)
This sentence needs the accusative form, so you get samninginn.
Does skoða only mean physically look at something?
No. Skoða can mean:
- look at
- examine
- inspect
- check
- review
With something like samningur (contract/agreement), it often feels closer to review or go over than just physically looking at it.
So even if the meaning shown to the learner is look at, the Icelandic verb can sound a bit broader than that.
What does aftur mean here?
Here aftur means again.
This word can also mean back, depending on context. For example:
- Hann kom aftur. can mean He came back.
- Lesum þetta aftur. means Let’s read this again.
In your sentence, the intended meaning is clearly again: reviewing the contract one more time.
Why does á morgun mean tomorrow?
Because á morgun is a fixed Icelandic expression meaning tomorrow.
This can confuse English speakers, because it looks like it might mean something more literal such as on morning, but it does not. It simply means tomorrow.
A very useful contrast is:
- á morgun = tomorrow
- í morgun = this morning
Those two are easy to mix up, so they are worth memorizing as whole expressions.
Why is aftur placed before á morgun?
That is a natural neutral order in Icelandic.
- aftur modifies the action and means again
- á morgun gives the time: tomorrow
So the sentence first says that the action will be repeated, and then adds when:
- skoða samninginn aftur á morgun
You may also hear different word orders for emphasis, but this version is very normal and natural.
How should I pronounce some of the tricky words?
A few parts may be difficult for English speakers:
- við: the ð is like the th in this, though at the end of a word it may sound quite weak
- skulum: stress the first syllable: SKU-lum
- samninginn: also stress the first syllable: SAM-ning-inn
- morgun: stress the first syllable: MOR-gun
A good general rule is that Icelandic words are usually stressed on the first syllable.
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