Við skoðum efnið.

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.

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.

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

In Icelandic, the definite article is very often attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.

So instead of having a separate word like English the, Icelandic often does this:

• hús = house
• húsið = the house

And here:

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

This is one of the most important structural differences between English and Icelandic.

It is functioning as the object of the verb, and that usually means the accusative case in Icelandic. However, for some nouns, the nominative and accusative forms look the same.

That is what happens here.

For the neuter noun efni:

• nominative singular: efnið
• accusative singular: efnið

So even though it is the object, the form does not visibly change.

The basic order here is:

Subject + Verb + Object

• Við = subject
• skoðum = verb
• efnið = object

So it matches a very familiar English pattern:

• We examine the material.

That said, Icelandic also has important V2 word order patterns, so in other sentence types the order can change, especially if something else comes first.

Yes, sometimes, depending on emphasis and sentence structure.

For example, Icelandic often follows a verb-second rule, which means the finite verb tends to come in the second position of the clause. So if you move another element to the front for emphasis, the subject may come after the verb.

But for a simple neutral statement, Við skoðum efnið is the most straightforward and natural order.

A rough learner-friendly approximation is:

vith SKO-thum EHP-nith

A few pronunciation notes:

• ð is like the th in this, not the th in thin
• skoðum has ó, which is a long vowel sound
• fn in efnið is pronounced clearly; the word begins something like EHP-
• stress in Icelandic usually falls on the first syllable of each word

This is only an approximation, but it is a useful starting point.

Not always. Skoða is a flexible verb.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• look at
• examine
• inspect
• study
• review
• check out

So Við skoðum efnið could mean things like:

• We examine the material
• We review the material
• We look at the topic

The best translation depends on the situation.

Yes. Icelandic simple present often covers both ideas that English separates into:

• we examine
• we are examining

So Við skoðum efnið can mean either one, depending on context.

That is very normal in Icelandic.

You add ekki for not:

Við skoðum ekki efnið.

= We are not examining the material / We do not examine the material

In simple sentences, ekki usually comes after the finite verb.

Yes.

• singular indefinite: efni
• singular definite: efnið
• plural indefinite: efni
• plural definite: efnin

So the singular and plural indefinite forms are the same here, but the definite forms are different:

• efnið = the material / the topic
• efnin = the materials / the topics

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

It is neuter.

You can tell from the definite singular form efnið, since -ið is a common definite ending for neuter singular nouns.

Knowing the gender matters because it affects:

• articles
• adjectives
• pronouns
• some case forms

So it is useful to learn nouns together with their gender: efni — neuter.

Here is the present indicative:

• ég skoða = I examine
• þú skoðar = you examine
• hann/hún/það skoðar = he/she/it examines
• við skoðum = we examine
• þið skoðið = you all examine
• þeir/þær/þau skoða = they examine

This helps you see exactly why the sentence uses skoðum with við.