Breakdown of Við bjóðum þeim bjór af því að liðið spilar.
við
we
spila
to play
þeim
them (dative)
af því að
because
bjórinn
the beer
bjóða
to invite
liðið
the team
Questions & Answers about Við bjóðum þeim bjór af því að liðið spilar.
Since bjóða (to offer) is a strong verb, why doesn't its vowel change in the plural form við bjóðum?
Strong verbs are famous for tricky vowel changes in the present tense singular (like ég býð). However, in the plural, they are usually very regular! You just take the infinitive stem (bjóð-) and add the standard present plural endings: -um for við, -ið for þið, and -a for þeir/þær/þau.
Why is the pronoun þeim (them) in the dative case here?
The verb bjóða takes two objects when you offer someone something. The person receiving the offer takes the dative case (so the basic plural pronoun becomes þeim), while the thing being offered takes the accusative case (which for the masculine word bjór is just bjór).
Af því að seems like a lot of words just to say "because". Do I always need all three?
Yes, af því að is a fixed phrase that acts as a single conjunction meaning "because". It literally translates to "of that that," but you should treat it as one complete chunk that can't be broken up.
The English translation says "is playing", but the Icelandic verb is just spilar. Is there a specific "is playing" form in Icelandic?
Unlike English, Icelandic doesn't have a separate continuous tense for actions happening right now. The simple present tense spilar translates to both "plays" and "is playing" depending on what makes the most sense in English.
Learn Við bjóðum þeim bjór af því að liðið spilar 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