Breakdown of Við hlustum oft á útvarpið.
við
we
hlusta
to listen
oft
often
á
to/at (with verbs of perception: hlusta á, horfa á)
útvarpið
the radio
Questions & Answers about Við hlustum oft á útvarpið.
Why is oft placed after hlustum instead of before it?
In English we usually put the adverb before the verb, like in 'often listen'. However, in Icelandic main clauses, adverbs of frequency like oft must come right after the conjugated verb. This makes the literal word order 'We listen often to the radio.'
Why do we use the preposition á in this sentence?
The verb hlusta (to listen) always pairs with the preposition á when you mention what you are listening to. Even though á frequently means 'on' in other contexts, here it functions just like 'to' does in English.
What case is útvarpið in, and why?
It is in the accusative case because the preposition á forces the object into that case when it follows hlusta. Since útvarp is a neuter noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its dictionary form. The -ið at the end is just the attached definite article, meaning 'the'.
How can we easily recognize that hlustum goes with the subject við?
In Icelandic, present tense verbs used with the pronoun við (we) almost always end in the suffix -um.
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