Tryggingafélagið svarar fljótt.

Icelandic often builds nouns by combining smaller parts into one compound word.

Tryggingafélagið can be broken down like this:

• trygging = insurance
• félag = company, association
• -ið = the (the definite article attached to the noun)

So the word literally contains the idea of the insurance company all in one form.

This is very normal in Icelandic. Where English often uses several separate words, Icelandic frequently uses one compound noun.

The ending -ið is the definite article, meaning the.

In Icelandic, the is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of standing as a separate word.

So:

• tryggingafélag = an insurance company / insurance company
• tryggingafélagið = the insurance company

This attached article changes depending on the noun’s gender, number, and case. Here, -ið shows that the noun is singular, definite, and neuter in the nominative.

Tryggingafélagið is neuter.

The base noun is félag, which is a neuter noun. In compounds, the gender usually comes from the final part of the compound, so because félag is neuter, tryggingafélag is neuter too.

A useful clue is the definite ending:

• many neuter singular nouns take -ið in the nominative definite form

So tryggingafélagið is a good example of a neuter noun in the nominative singular definite form.

Svarar is the present tense form of the verb svara (to answer, to reply).

In this sentence, it is:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense

So it matches the singular subject Tryggingafélagið.

A few present-tense forms of svara are:

• ég svara = I answer
• þú svarar = you answer
• hann/hún/það svarar = he/she/it answers

Because Tryggingafélagið is a singular thing, Icelandic uses svarar.

Yes. Svara commonly takes the dative case for the person being answered.

For example:

• Ég svara henni. = I answer her.
• Hann svarar mér. = He answers me.

In your sentence, there is no expressed object, so you just get:

• Tryggingafélagið svarar fljótt.

So even though no dative noun appears here, it is useful to remember that svara einhverjum = answer someone, with that someone in the dative.

This is the normal basic word order for a simple Icelandic main clause:

• subject + verb + adverb

So:

• Tryggingafélagið = subject
• svarar = verb
• fljótt = adverb

That makes the sentence straightforward and neutral.

Icelandic is often described as a verb-second language, which means the finite verb tends to come early in main clauses, especially in position 2. In this sentence, the subject comes first, so the verb naturally comes next.

Fljótt is an adverb, meaning it describes how the action happens.

Here it tells you how the company answers: it answers quickly.

It is related to the adjective fljótur (quick, fast), but in this sentence you need the adverb form, not the adjective form.

So compare:

• fljótur = quick/fast (adjective, used with a noun)
• fljótt = quickly (adverb, used with a verb)

Since svarar is a verb, fljótt is the correct form.

Because the sentence needs an adverb, not an adjective.

Adjectives describe nouns:

• fljótur maður = a quick man

Adverbs describe verbs:

• svarar fljótt = answers quickly

In Icelandic, many adverbs are identical to the neuter singular form of the adjective. For fljótur, that form is fljótt.

So even though fljótt looks like a neuter adjective form, here it functions as an adverb.

A rough learner-friendly guide is:

• Tryggingafélagið ≈ TRIG-ginga-FYE-la-yith
• svarar ≈ SVA-ra(r)
• fljótt ≈ flyoht

A few helpful pronunciation notes:

• ll is not in this sentence, but Icelandic has many special sounds, so pronunciation often needs practice.
• é sounds roughly like ye.
• ð is like the th in this, though in some positions it is very soft.
• jó in fljótt has a sound somewhat like yo.
• tt in Icelandic is not always pronounced exactly like English tt.

If you are learning pronunciation, it is best to listen to native audio, because Icelandic spelling is fairly consistent but some consonant combinations are not obvious to English speakers.

Yes, adverbs can sometimes move, but the position in your sentence is the most neutral and natural one.

• Tryggingafélagið svarar fljótt. = neutral, standard

You may see adverbs in other places depending on emphasis, style, or sentence structure, but for a beginner, putting fljótt after the verb is a very good default in sentences like this.

So if your goal is to produce natural Icelandic, this word order is a safe pattern to copy.

You would change the verb from present tense svarar to past tense svaraði:

• Tryggingafélagið svaraði fljótt.

That means the insurance company answered quickly.

So:

• svarar = answers / is answering
• svaraði = answered

The noun Tryggingafélagið and the adverb fljótt stay the same here; only the verb changes.