Fyrirtækið safnar fé.

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

So:

• fyrirtæki = company
• fyrirtækið = the company

The ending -ið is the definite article here. This noun is neuter singular, and -ið is the normal definite ending for many neuter nouns in the nominative/accusative singular.

Because Icelandic normally uses a suffixed definite article instead of a separate article word.

English:

• the company

Icelandic:

• fyrirtækið

There is a separate article form in some formal or special constructions, but for ordinary sentences like this, attaching the article to the noun is the normal pattern.

You would usually say:

• Fyrirtæki safnar fé.

Icelandic does not have a normal indefinite article like English a/an. So the bare noun fyrirtæki can mean a company or just company/companies depending on context.

That means:

• fyrirtæki = a company / company
• fyrirtækið = the company

Safna is the infinitive, meaning to collect.

In the sentence, the verb is conjugated for third person singular present because the subject is fyrirtækið = the company.

So:

• að safna = to collect
• ég safna = I collect
• þú safnar = you collect
• hann/hún/það safnar = he/she/it collects
• fyrirtækið safnar = the company collects

So safnar is the correct present-tense form.

Fé is a common Icelandic word meaning money, funds, or wealth in many contexts.

It is a bit broader than a simple one-to-one match with English money. Depending on context, Icelandic can also use words like:

• peningar = money, often in a more everyday/countable sense
• fé = money/funds/capital, often slightly broader or more formal

So Fyrirtækið safnar fé is a very natural way to say that a company is collecting money or raising funds.

This is a very good question, because it involves both word choice and case.

The verb að safna takes the dative case for what is being collected.

• fé is a special noun whose form is often fé in several cases, including the dative singular.
• peningar is a different noun, and with safna it would need to be in the dative plural: peningum.

So you can say:

• Fyrirtækið safnar fé.
• Fyrirtækið safnar peningum.

Both can mean The company collects money, but:

• fé often sounds like funds/capital/money in a mass sense
• peningum is the dative plural of peningar

Some Icelandic verbs simply require their objects to be in a case other than the accusative. This is something learners have to memorize along with the verb.

Að safna is one of those verbs: it usually takes a dative object.

So when learning the verb, it helps to learn it like this:

• að safna e-u = to collect something
  where e-u stands for a dative form

Examples:

• safna fé
• safna peningum
• safna frímerkjum = collect stamps

This is very normal in Icelandic grammar.

Here fyrirtækið is in the nominative singular, because it is the subject of the sentence.

The basic structure is:

• fyrirtækið = subject, nominative
• safnar = verb
• fé = object/complement in the dative, required by the verb safna

So even though English learners often expect a direct object in the accusative, Icelandic does not always work that way.

It is neuter.

That matters because gender affects:

• the form of the definite article
• adjective agreement
• pronouns used later

For example:

• fyrirtæki = a company
• fyrirtækið = the company

And if you referred back to it with a pronoun, you would use the neuter pronoun það = it.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Icelandic present tense often covers both:

• The company collects money
• The company is collecting money

If you want to know which one is intended, you usually look at the wider context rather than the verb form alone.

Yes. That means The company is collecting money and makes the ongoing action more explicit.

So:

• Fyrirtækið safnar fé = The company collects money / is collecting money
• Fyrirtækið er að safna fé = The company is collecting money

The first version is simpler and very common. The second one emphasizes that the action is in progress.

Yes, fénu is possible, but it means the money/the funds specifically.

Compare:

• Fyrirtækið safnar fé. = The company collects money / raises funds.
• Fyrirtækið safnar fénu. = The company is collecting the money.

The first sounds more general. The second refers to specific money already known from context.

Because safna takes the dative, the definite form here is fénu, not just a nominative-style form.

The sentence has the basic Icelandic declarative order:

• Subject + Verb + Object/Complement

So:

• Fyrirtækið = subject
• safnar = verb
• fé = dative object/complement

This is the most straightforward word order and is exactly what a learner should expect in a simple main clause.

In a yes/no question, the verb usually comes first:

• Safnar fyrirtækið fé? = Does the company collect money? / Is the company collecting money?

This is a common Icelandic pattern: the finite verb moves to the first position in direct questions.

The accents in Icelandic are not just stress marks; they are part of the spelling and show different vowel sounds.

In this sentence:

• í is pronounced roughly like English ee
• é is pronounced roughly like ye in yes, but as a single Icelandic vowel sound

So:

• fé does not sound like plain fe
• fyrirtækið and fé must be learned with their accented vowels as part of the word

The accents can change both pronunciation and sometimes meaning, so they are important.

Not really. It is a somewhat irregular and old noun.

One useful thing for learners is that its form is often the same in several cases:

• fé can appear as nominative, accusative, and dative singular
• the genitive is fjár

That is why after safnar, which requires dative, you still see fé rather than a visibly different form.

Yes, absolutely. Depending on context, fyrirtæki can mean company, business, or enterprise, and safna fé can mean collect money, raise funds, or gather capital/funds.

So even if the meaning has already been given to the learner, it is useful to know that the Icelandic wording can fit several closely related English translations.