Breakdown of Við sitjum í svefnherberginu og borðum nammið.
og
and
við
we
borða
to eat
sitja
to sit
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
svefnherbergið
the bedroom
nammið
the candy
Questions & Answers about Við sitjum í svefnherberginu og borðum nammið.
Why does this sentence translate to "are sitting and eating" instead of just "sit and eat"?
In Icelandic, if you are actively doing something while sitting, standing, or lying down, you use a posture verb (sitja, standa, or liggja) plus og (and) followed by another conjugated verb. This acts a lot like the "-ing" continuous form in English. Here, sitjum og borðum tells us the action is happening right now.
Do both verbs need the -um ending?
Yes. Because og (and) links the two actions together, they both have to match the subject við (we). So you conjugate both verbs in the "we" form: við sitjum and borðum.
Why does svefnherbergi (bedroom) have the ending -nu here?
The ending -nu is the attached word for "the" for a neuter noun in the dative case. The preposition í (in) forces the noun that follows into the dative case when it describes a stationary location (where you are, rather than where you are moving).
If the bedroom is in the dative case, why is nammið (the candy) in the accusative case?
nammið is the direct object of the verb borðum (eat). Most verbs, including borða, force the thing being acted upon into the accusative case. The preposition í only affects the location noun right after it.
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