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Við erum nýbúnar að taka illgresið úr grasflötinni.

Við erum nýbúnar að taka illgresið úr grasflötinni.
We have just taken the weeds out of the lawn.
FromLesson 63inHardcore Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Við erum nýbúnar að taka illgresið úr grasflötinni.

What does the pattern vera nýbúinn að + infinitive mean?

It is a very common Icelandic way to say that someone has just finished doing something.

So:

  • við erum nýbúnar að taka ... = we have just finished taking ...
  • very natural English equivalents are we’ve just ... or we’ve just finished ...

A literal breakdown is something like:

  • við erum = we are
  • nýbúnar = newly finished
  • að taka = to take

But in real English, you should treat the whole structure as an idiom meaning have just done.

Why is it nýbúnar and not nýbúnir or nýbúin?

Because nýbúinn agrees with the subject við in gender and number.

Here, nýbúnar is:

So this sentence is being said by a group of women, or by women speaking about themselves.

Compare:

  • Við erum nýbúnar ... = we (all female)
  • Við erum nýbúnir ... = we (all male or mixed group)
  • Við erum nýbúin ... = neuter plural form, used in some contexts but not for ordinary we referring to people in the same way

This agreement is very important in Icelandic.

Why is erum in the present tense if the action is already finished?

Because Icelandic often uses the present tense of vera plus nýbúinn að to express a recently completed action.

So even though the verb erum means are, the whole phrase means something like:

  • we have just finished
  • we’ve just done it

This is normal Icelandic usage, not a mistake or unusual wording.

What exactly is nýbúnar grammatically?

It is the feminine plural form of nýbúinn, which is an adjective/participle-like form used in this fixed expression.

You can think of nýbúinn as meaning:

  • newly done with
  • having just finished

It behaves like an adjective because it agrees with the subject:

  • Ég er nýbúin að lesa bókina.
  • Hann er nýbúinn að borða.
  • Við erum nýbúnar að taka illgresið ...

So in this sentence, it describes við.

Why is illgresið singular when English would usually say the weeds?

Because illgresi is often used in Icelandic as a collective noun.

So even though English usually says weeds in the plural, Icelandic can use singular illgresi to refer to weed growth in general.

Here:

  • illgresi = weed / weeds / weed growth
  • illgresið = the weeds / the weed growth

This is very natural in Icelandic. You do not need to force an English-style plural.

Why does illgresið have the ending -ið?

The ending -ið is the definite article attached to the noun.

So:

  • illgresi = weed / weeds (indefinite)
  • illgresið = the weed / the weeds (definite)

Icelandic usually adds the to the end of the noun instead of writing it as a separate word.

Also, illgresi is a neuter noun, so the definite singular form is illgresið.

What case is illgresið in here?

It is in the accusative, because it is the direct object of taka.

The verb taka usually takes an accusative object:

  • taka bókina
  • taka bílinn
  • taka illgresið

With illgresi, the nominative and accusative singular definite forms look the same:

  • nominative: illgresið
  • accusative: illgresið

So the form does not change, but the function here is accusative.

Why is it úr grasflötinni?

Because Icelandic says take something out of/from something with úr in this kind of context.

So:

  • taka illgresið úr grasflötinni = take the weeds out of the lawn

The preposition úr means out of or from, and it takes the dative case.

That is why grasflötin becomes grasflötinni.

What case is grasflötinni, and why?

It is dative singular definite.

That happens because:

So the forms are:

  • grasflöt = a lawn
  • grasflötin = the lawn
  • úr grasflötinni = out of the lawn

The -inni ending is a strong clue that you are looking at a feminine singular dative definite form.

Could you say af grasflötinni instead of úr grasflötinni?

Usually úr is the more natural choice here.

Why?

  • úr suggests removing something from within an area or growth
  • weeds are thought of as being in the lawn, not just sitting on top of it

By contrast, af often means off a surface:

  • taking a cup off the table
  • wiping dust off a shelf

So for weeding a lawn, úr grasflötinni is the natural phrasing.

What is the base form of grasflötinni?

The base form is grasflöt.

It is a feminine noun meaning lawn.

Useful forms:

  • grasflöt = a lawn
  • grasflötin = the lawn
  • grasflötinni = to/from/in the lawn, depending on the preposition or function

In this sentence, it appears after úr, so it is dative.

How literal is the word order in this sentence?

The word order is very normal for Icelandic.

Structure:

  • Við = subject
  • erum = verb
  • nýbúnar = complement agreeing with the subject
  • að taka = infinitive phrase
  • illgresið = object
  • úr grasflötinni = prepositional phrase

So Icelandic is building the sentence around the expression:

  • vera nýbúinn að gera eitthvað

That whole pattern is the key thing to recognize.

Would Við tókum illgresið úr grasflötinni mean the same thing?

Not exactly.

  • Við tókum illgresið úr grasflötinni = We took the weeds out of the lawn / We weeded the lawn
  • Við erum nýbúnar að taka illgresið úr grasflötinni = We have just finished weeding the lawn

The second sentence adds the idea of very recent completion.

So if you want the nuance we just did it, the nýbúnar að version is better.

Could Icelandic also express this with a perfect, like við höfum ...?

Yes, but the nuance is slightly different.

For example:

  • Við höfum tekið illgresið úr grasflötinni. = We have taken the weeds out of the lawn.
  • Við erum nýbúnar að taka illgresið úr grasflötinni. = We’ve just finished taking the weeds out of the lawn.

The nýbúnar að construction is especially good when you want to stress just now, recently finished, or freshly done.

How would the sentence change if the speakers were men or a mixed group?

Only the form of nýbúinn would change.

  • Við erum nýbúnar að taka illgresið úr grasflötinni.
    all female speakers

  • Við erum nýbúnir að taka illgresið úr grasflötinni.
    all male speakers, or a mixed group

Everything else stays the same.

This is a very common kind of agreement change in Icelandic.

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