Við tölum lágt í bókasafninu.

to speak

Breakdown of Við tölum lágt í bókasafninu.

• við: we
• í: in
• bókasafnið: the library

Questions & Answers about Við tölum lágt í bókasafninu.

What does við mean, and do I have to include it?

Við means we.

Yes, in a normal sentence like this, you usually include it. Even though the verb form tölum already shows we, Icelandic normally keeps the subject pronoun in ordinary statements.

So:

• Við tölum lágt = We speak quietly
• not usually just Tölum lágt unless the context is special, poetic, or elliptical

What verb is tölum, and why does it end in -um?

Tölum is the 1st person plural present form of the verb tala, which means to speak or to talk.

The pattern is:

• ég tala = I speak
• þú talar = you speak
• við tölum = we speak

So the ending -um here tells you the subject is we.

Also notice that the stem vowel changes slightly: tala → tölum. This kind of vowel change is common in Icelandic verb forms.

Why is it lágt and not a form meaning quiet more directly?