Breakdown of Við förum í skóginn saman.
saman
together / on end (after a dative plural time noun)
við
we
fara
to go
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
skógurinn
the forest
Questions & Answers about Við förum í skóginn saman.
Why is the word for forest written as skóginn here?
This is because of the preposition í. When í means 'into' (showing motion or direction), the noun that follows must be in the accusative case. The base word is skógur (a forest). In the accusative, it drops the '-ur' ending to become skóg, and adding the accusative definite article suffix '-inn' (meaning 'the') makes it skóginn.
Does í always mean 'into' and use the accusative case?
Not always! The preposition í can mean 'in' or 'into'. When it shows motion towards a place (like walking into the forest), it forces the next word into the accusative case, like in this sentence. If it just meant being located 'in' a place without moving there, it would trigger a different grammatical case called the dative.
I don't see a separate word for 'are' in Við förum. Why does the translation say 'are going'?
Icelandic does not have a separate present continuous tense like English does (using 'am', 'is', or 'are' plus an '-ing' word). The simple present tense verb förum covers both 'we go' and 'we are going'. You just use the context of the sentence to decide which translation sounds best in English.
Could we change the word order to Við förum saman í skóginn?
Yes, you can! Both word orders are perfectly fine and natural. Placing saman (together) at the very end puts a slight emphasis on the destination, while putting it right after the verb places a bit more focus on the fact that you are going together.
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