Breakdown of Við ætlum að selja tölvuna.
við
we
að
to (infinitive marker)
tölvan
the computer
ætla
to intend
selja
to sell
Questions & Answers about Við ætlum að selja tölvuna.
Why do we use ætlum að selja to mean "are going to sell"?
In Icelandic, to express that you plan or intend to do something in the future, you use the verb ætla (to intend / plan) followed by að and the infinitive (dictionary form) of the action verb. So við ætlum að selja literally means "we intend to sell" or "we are going to sell".
Why does the first verb end in -um (ætlum)?
Icelandic verbs change their endings to match the subject of the sentence. Because the subject here is við (we), the verb ætla takes the "we" ending, which is -um. If the sentence was about yourself ("I am going to sell"), you would just use ég ætla.
Can I leave out the word að in this sentence?
No, you need it here! When you connect ætla to another action to say you are going to do it, you must use the connecting word að. It works just like the word "to" in the English phrase "going to sell".
Why is "the computer" spelled tölvuna instead of just tölva?
The base word for "computer" is tölva. Here, it gets the -na ending for two reasons. First, Icelandic attaches "the" to the end of the noun. Second, the computer is the direct object (the thing being sold), which means it must be in the accusative case. For a feminine noun like tölva, the accusative "the" ending is -na.
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