við

Við is a word in Icelandic that appears as both a pronoun and a preposition, with different grammatical roles in the language. In everyday use it most commonly functions as a personal pronoun meaning “we,” and it also serves as a preposition to express spatial or directional relationships.

As a pronoun, við is the first-person plural subject form and is used to refer to the speaker and others. It appears in sentences that describe actions or states of the group, for example, “Við tökum þátt í umræðunni” meaning “We are taking part in the discussion.” Like other Icelandic pronouns, its function is determined by its position in the sentence and by its agreement with verbs.

As a preposition, við introduces phrases that describe location, proximity, or direction relative to something. It corresponds roughly to English “by,” “near,” or “at” in many contexts. Examples include “við höfnina” (by the harbor) and “standa við borðið” (stand by the table). The exact sense can depend on context and accompanying nouns, and it is common in idiomatic expressions as well.

Etymology and cognates: the word derives from Old Norse við and has cognates in other North Germanic languages. Related forms in neighboring languages often carry similar meanings related to proximity or direction, such as Danish ved and Norwegian ved, which reflect a shared historical development of these prepositional senses.

Usage notes: við is a versatile word with its meaning guided by context. It is not restricted to formal registers and appears across spoken and written Icelandic. Learners should pay attention to common collocations and phrases to understand how the prepositional sense integrates with surrounding nouns and verbs.