Questions & Answers about Við sofum stundum mjög vel.
How does sofa fit into the Group 3 verbs we're learning if it ends in -um here?
Sofa (to sleep) is a Group 3 verb, which you can see in its singular forms (like hann sefur - he sleeps). However, plural verb endings are exactly the same across all verb groups in Icelandic! Since the subject is við (we), you simply add the standard -um ending to the root, making it sofum.
Does the word stundum end in -um because it has to match the verb sofum?
No, that is just a tricky coincidence! While -um is the standard verb ending for við (we), stundum is a fixed adverb meaning "sometimes." It actually comes from an old plural form of the noun stund (a moment or period of time). It never changes its shape to match the verb or the subject.
Why does stundum (sometimes) come after the verb instead of before it like in English?
This happens because of the V2 (verb-second) rule in Icelandic. In a standard statement, the main verb must be the second piece of information. Since the pronoun Við (we) takes up the first slot, the verb sofum (sleep) must come second. Adverbs of frequency, like stundum, usually follow right after the verb.
Is vel related to the English word "well"?
Yes! Vel is the direct equivalent of the English adverb "well." Just like in English, you use it to describe how an action is done, and you can easily pair it with mjög (very) to say mjög vel (very well).
Learn Við sofum stundum mjög vel and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free