Breakdown of Við vorum að spila betur áður en keppnin byrjaði.
vera
to be
við
we
spila
to play
að
to (infinitive marker)
byrja
to start
áður en
before
betur
better (adverb)
keppnin
the competition
Questions & Answers about Við vorum að spila betur áður en keppnin byrjaði.
Why do we use betur here instead of betri?
Betur is a comparative adverb, meaning it describes how the action was done (how we were playing). Betri is a comparative adjective used to describe nouns (like a better game). The base form of this irregular adverb is vel (well), which becomes betur (better) and best (best).
Why is the word en needed after áður?
In Icelandic, when before introduces a new clause with its own subject and verb (like keppnin byrjaði), you must use the two-word conjunction áður en. If you only wanted to say before the competition without a verb, you would use the preposition fyrir instead, giving you fyrir keppnina.
Is keppnin in a specific grammatical case here?
Yes, it is in the nominative case. Keppni is a feminine noun meaning competition, and the -n at the end is the attached definite article (the). It is nominative because it is the subject doing the action of the verb byrjaði (began).
Could we just say Við spiluðum instead of Við vorum að spila?
You could, but it changes the meaning slightly. Using vorum að spila (the past continuous form) emphasizes that the playing was an ongoing action happening right up until the start of the competition. Við spiluðum just states the simple past fact (We played).
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