Við spilum réttsælis.

Við means we.

It is the subject pronoun of the sentence, so it tells you who is doing the action. In Icelandic, við is used for we in the nominative case, which is the case used for subjects.

Because spilum is the form of the verb spila that agrees with við (we).

The verb spila means to play. In the present tense:

• ég spila = I play
• þú spilar = you play
• hann/hún/það spilar = he/she/it plays
• við spilum = we play
• þið spilið = you all play
• þeir/þær/þau spila = they play

So við spilum means we play.

Réttsælis means clockwise.

It describes the direction in which something happens. In this sentence, it tells you that the playing goes in a clockwise direction, as in a board game or card game.

So the full sentence means something like:

• We play clockwise.
• We go clockwise when playing.

That is just part of the fixed adverb form réttsælis.

Here it is being used as an adverb, describing how or in what direction the action happens. You do not need to change it to match við or spilum.

It is helpful to learn réttsælis as a whole word meaning clockwise.

A useful opposite is:

• rangsælis = counterclockwise / anticlockwise

The word order is:

• Við = subject
• spilum = verb
• réttsælis = adverb

So it follows a very normal pattern:

subject + verb + adverb

This is similar to English We play clockwise.

Icelandic word order can move around in some contexts, especially because of the verb-second rule, but this sentence is straightforward and neutral.

Very often, yes. Spila commonly means play, especially for:

• games
• card games
• board games
• musical instruments

Examples:

• Við spilum skák. = We play chess.
• Hún spilar á gítar. = She plays the guitar.

In Við spilum réttsælis, the object is not stated, so the sentence focuses on the direction of play, not on which game is being played.

Yes. The Icelandic present tense often covers both:

• We play clockwise
• We are playing clockwise

Which one sounds better in English depends on context.

So if people are in the middle of a game, We’re playing clockwise may be the most natural translation. If it is a general rule, We play clockwise may fit better.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

vith spi-lum ryeht-sigh-lis

A few important points:

• ð in við is like the th in this
• spilum has stress on the first syllable: SPI-lum
• rétt- begins with a sound somewhat like ryeht
• æ is not pronounced like English a in cat; it is closer to an eye / sigh-type sound in many learner approximations
• Icelandic usually stresses the first syllable

This is only an approximation, but it can help you get started.

Not much for this particular sentence.

• Við is in the nominative because it is the subject.
• spilum is just the verb form for we.
• réttsælis is an adverb here, so it does not behave like a noun with case in this sentence.

So this sentence is actually quite friendly for beginners: it does not require you to work through a direct object or more complicated case patterns.

Usually, in a simple neutral sentence, Við spilum réttsælis is the most natural order.

But Icelandic can sometimes move adverbs for emphasis. If another element is placed first, the finite verb typically still comes early because of Icelandic word-order rules.

For a learner, the safest pattern is:

subject + verb + adverb

So it is best to learn and use Við spilum réttsælis exactly as it stands until you are more comfortable with Icelandic word order.