Við skoðum efnið.

we

Breakdown of Við skoðum efnið.

• skoða: to look at
• efnið: the material; subject matter

Questions & Answers about Við skoðum efnið.

What does við mean here?

Here, við means we.

A useful extra point: við can also be a very common preposition meaning with, by, or at, depending on context. In Við skoðum efnið, though, it is clearly the subject pronoun we.

Why is the verb skoðum and not skoða?

Skoða is the dictionary form, the infinitive, meaning to look at, to examine, or to study/review, depending on context.

In the sentence, the verb has to agree with the subject við (we), so it becomes skoðum, which is the 1st person plural present tense form:

• ég skoða = I look at / examine
• þú skoðar = you look at / examine
• við skoðum = we look at / examine

So Við skoðum means we look at / we examine / we review.

What is efnið exactly?

Efnið means the material, the subject matter, or the content, depending on context.

It comes from the noun efni, which means material, subject matter, topic, or substance.

The -ð at the end is the suffixed definite article, so:

• efni = material / subject matter
• efnið = the material / the subject matter