Við lokum hliðinu.

• Við = the subject, we
• lokum = the verb, close / are closing
• hliðinu = the gate, in a special case form required by the verb

So the structure is basically we + close + the gate.

The dictionary forms are:

• lokum → að loka = to close
• hliðinu → hlið = gate

This is important in Icelandic, because words often appear with endings that change for tense, person, number, case, and definiteness.

Lokum is the 1st person plural present tense form of að loka.

So:

• ég loka = I close
• við lokum = we close

In this sentence, lokum agrees with við.

Because að loka takes a dative object in Icelandic.

So even though English says close the gate with an ordinary direct object, Icelandic uses:

• loka hliðinu = close the gate

If you used hliðið, that would be the nominative/accusative definite form, but this verb normally wants the dative.

This is a very common thing in Icelandic: you often have to learn a verb together with the case it governs.

It shows that the noun is:

• singular
• definite = the gate
• dative
• neuter

A useful way to think about it is:

• hlið = gate
• hliði = to/at a gate, or gate in the dative
• hliðinu = the gate in the dative

So the ending is carrying a lot of grammatical information at once.

Because Icelandic usually puts the definite article onto the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.

So:

• hlið = gate
• hliðið = the gate
• hliðinu = the gate, in the dative

This is one of the big differences from English. In many everyday sentences, the is not a separate word in Icelandic at all.

It can mean either, depending on context.

The Icelandic present tense often covers both:

• we close the gate
• we are closing the gate

If the context is about a general habit, it may sound like we close the gate.
If the context is about what is happening now, it may sound like we are closing the gate.

Here it is the pronoun we.

That is worth noticing because við can also be a preposition in other sentences, with meanings such as with, by, or against, depending on context.

In this sentence, though, it is clearly the subject pronoun because it comes before the verb lokum and fits the meaning we close the gate.

Yes, but the neutral, ordinary order here is:

• Við lokum hliðinu.

If you put something else first, Icelandic normally keeps the verb in the second position:

• Núna lokum við hliðinu. = Now we are closing the gate.

You can also move parts around for emphasis, but that becomes less neutral. For a beginner, Við lokum hliðinu is the standard pattern to remember.

A rough learner-friendly guide is:

• Við ≈ vith
• lokum ≈ LOH-kum
• hliðinu ≈ HLI-thi-nu

A few pronunciation notes:

• ð is a th sound, not a d
• stress usually falls on the first syllable
• hl in hliðinu is not a normal English sound, so it may take practice

The exact Icelandic pronunciation is a bit subtler than the rough English guide, but this will help you get started.