Við stokkum spilastokkinn.

• Við = we. It is the subject.
• stokkum = shuffle. It is the finite verb, in the present tense, agreeing with við.
• spilastokkinn = the deck of cards. It is the direct object of the verb.

So structurally, it is:

subject + verb + object

Because Icelandic verbs change form to match the subject.

The dictionary form is stokka = to shuffle.
But with við = we, the present-tense form is stokkum.

A few present-tense forms are:

• ég stokka = I shuffle
• þú stokkar = you shuffle
• við stokkum = we shuffle

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

The base form is stokka.

It is often used for shuffling cards, but it can also be used more generally for rearranging, mixing up, or shuffling around things, depending on context.

In this sentence, because the object is spilastokkinn, the meaning is clearly the card-related one.

Because Icelandic very often makes compounds as a single word.

spilastokkinn is built from:

• spila = of cards / card-
• stokkur = deck, stack

So spilastokkur means deck of cards, and Icelandic writes that as one compound word, not as separate words.

This is very common in Icelandic.

It comes from spil, which means cards or games, depending on context.

In this compound, spila- reflects the genitive plural form, so the word is built in a way that is roughly like deck of cards.

So:

• spil = cards
• spila- = of cards
• spilastokkur = deck of cards

You do not need to translate it piece by piece every time, but it helps explain why the compound looks the way it does.

That -inn is the definite article, meaning the.

In Icelandic, the is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.

So:

• spilastokkur = a deck of cards
• spilastokkinn = the deck of cards

The exact form of the article changes with gender, number, and case, so here -inn is the form that fits this noun in this sentence.

Because the noun is not in the nominative here; it is the direct object, so it is in the accusative.

The base noun is:

• spilastokkur = deck of cards

With the definite article in the nominative, you get:

• spilastokkurinn = the deck of cards

But as the direct object of stokkum, Icelandic uses the accusative:

• spilastokkinn

So this change is about case:

• nominative: spilastokkurinn
• accusative: spilastokkinn

This is a very common pattern with masculine nouns ending in -ur.

It is accusative singular definite.

Why accusative? Because stokkum is a transitive verb here, and the thing being shuffled is the direct object. In Icelandic, direct objects are often in the accusative.

So:

• Við = subject
• stokkum = verb
• spilastokkinn = direct object in the accusative

No, this is the most normal word order for a simple statement:

Við + stokkum + spilastokkinn
subject + verb + object

But Icelandic is a verb-second language, which means the finite verb normally comes in the second slot of a main clause. Since við is first, stokkum comes next.

For example, if another element comes first, the verb still stays second:

• Núna stokkum við spilastokkinn = Now we shuffle the deck of cards.

So the sentence you have is both natural and basic.

A rough English-friendly guide is:

við STOH-kum SPEE-la-stoh-kinn

A few important points:

• Við has ð, like the th in this
• stokkum has stress on the first syllable
• spilastokkinn also has stress on the first syllable
• kk in Icelandic is often pronounced with a kind of pre-aspiration, so it can sound a bit like hk to English ears

So stokkum may sound a little closer to stoh-kum than an English-style stock-um.

The exact Icelandic pronunciation is more subtle, but that approximation is a helpful start.