Bótaskyldan er skýr.

Er is the present-tense, 3rd-person singular form of vera (to be).

So in this sentence:

• Bótaskyldan = the subject
• er = is
• skýr = the adjective describing the subject

It is the normal verb you would expect in a sentence like X is Y.

The dictionary form is bótaskylda.

Bótaskyldan is the definite nominative singular form of that noun. In other words:

• bótaskylda = liability/obligation to pay compensation
• bótaskyldan = the liability/obligation to pay compensation

It is a feminine noun.

Because Icelandic usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.

So:

• bótaskylda = liability / compensation obligation
• bótaskyldan = the liability / the compensation obligation

The ending -an here is the suffixed definite article for this feminine noun form.

It comes from bætur, which means compensation, damages, or reparation, depending on context.

In compounds, Icelandic often uses a stem-like or genitive-based form, so bóta- appears as the first part of the compound:

• bætur → bóta-
• skylda = obligation, duty
• bótaskylda = obligation/liability to pay damages or compensation

This kind of compounding is very common in Icelandic.

Yes, it is one word, and that is very natural in Icelandic.

Icelandic often prefers compound nouns where English would use a longer phrase. So English may use something like:

• liability for damages
• obligation to pay compensation

But Icelandic can package that idea into one noun: bótaskylda.

This is one reason Icelandic vocabulary can look dense at first: a lot of meaning is packed into compounds.

It is:

• nominative
• singular
• feminine

It is nominative because it is the subject of the sentence.

The structure is:

• Bótaskyldan = subject
• er = verb
• skýr = predicate adjective

With vera (to be), the predicate adjective also agrees with the subject.

Because Icelandic adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and usually case.

Here the noun is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective appears as skýr.

For comparison:

• feminine singular: skýr
• masculine singular: skýr
• neuter singular: skýrt

So if the subject were a neuter noun, you would expect skýrt instead.

Not necessarily. Depending on context, skýr can mean:

• clear
• plain
• obvious
• unambiguous
• explicit

In a legal or formal sentence like this one, skýr often has the sense of legally clear or not open to doubt.

Yes. This is the normal, neutral order:

• subject + verb + complement
• Bótaskyldan er skýr.

That is the straightforward way to say it.

Other word orders are possible in Icelandic for emphasis or style, but this version is the basic, standard one.

Yes, but it would not mean exactly the same thing in usage.

• Bótaskyldan er skýr = the liability/obligation is clear

  • refers to a specific one, probably already known from context

• Bótaskylda er skýr = liability/compensation obligation is clear

  • sounds more general, abstract, or headline-like

So the definite form is the natural choice if you are talking about a particular case or obligation already under discussion.

A rough English-friendly approximation is:

BOH-ta-skil-tan er skeer

A few helpful notes:

• ó is roughly like o in go
• y and ý sound closer to Icelandic i-type sounds than English y
• sk before front vowels in Icelandic is not exactly like normal English sk
• ld in words like skylda is often pronounced more like lt than an English ld

So the approximation helps, but the real Icelandic pronunciation is a bit different from normal English sounds.