Framtalsleiðbeiningarnar eru skýrar.

Because Icelandic very often makes compound nouns by joining words together.

Here, framtal + leiðbeiningar becomes framtalsleiðbeiningar, literally something like interview-guidelines.

This is completely normal in Icelandic. Where English often uses separate words, Icelandic often prefers one compound word:

• skóli = school
• bók = book
• skólabók = schoolbook

So Framtalsleiðbeiningarnar is not unusually complicated for Icelandic; it is just a compound noun with the definite article attached.

That -s- is a very common linking/genitive element in Icelandic compounds.

The first part is based on framtal. In the compound, it appears as framtals-, which is like of an interview / interview-related.

So:

• framtal = interview
• framtals- = interview-, of an interview
• framtalsleiðbeiningar = interview guidelines

English usually shows this relationship with separate words, but Icelandic often shows it inside the compound itself.

The ending -nar is the definite article attached to the noun.

Icelandic usually puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

So:

• framtalsleiðbeiningar = interview guidelines
• framtalsleiðbeiningarnar = the interview guidelines

In this sentence, the noun is:

• feminine
• plural
• nominative (because it is the subject)

For that form, the definite ending is -nar.

Yes, leiðbeiningar is plural.

The singular is:

• leiðbeining = an instruction / a guideline

The plural is:

• leiðbeiningar = instructions / guidelines

Just like in English, something like instructions or guidelines is often naturally plural even if it refers to one set of advice. So Icelandic uses the plural here in a very similar way.

Because the subject is plural.

The subject is Framtalsleiðbeiningarnar = the interview guidelines, which is more than one guideline, so the verb must also be plural.

Forms of vera (to be) in the present tense:

• ég er = I am
• þú ert = you are
• hann/hún/það er = he/she/it is
• við erum = we are
• þið eruð = you are
• þeir/þær/þau eru = they are

Since the subject is plural, Icelandic uses eru = are.

Because Icelandic adjectives must agree with the noun they describe.

The noun here is:

• feminine
• plural
• nominative

So the adjective skýr (clear) must also be in the feminine plural nominative form:

• skýr = clear (basic form)
• skýrar = clear, agreeing with a feminine plural subject

That is why the sentence says:

• Framtalsleiðbeiningarnar eru skýrar.

and not:

• Framtalsleiðbeiningarnar eru skýr.

Because in Icelandic, a predicate adjective still agrees with the subject.

In English, we say:

• The guideline is clear
• The guidelines are clear

The adjective clear does not change form.

But in Icelandic, the adjective usually changes to match the subject:

• Leiðbeiningin er skýr. = The guideline is clear.
• Leiðbeiningarnar eru skýrar. = The guidelines are clear.

So even though skýrar comes after the verb, it still matches Framtalsleiðbeiningarnar in gender and number.

It is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.

The sentence structure is:

• Framtalsleiðbeiningarnar = the subject
• eru = the verb
• skýrar = the description of the subject

In Icelandic, subjects are normally in the nominative. The adjective also matches that nominative plural feminine subject.

Yes. This is a very normal basic sentence pattern:

Subject + verb + adjective

So:

• Framtalsleiðbeiningarnar = subject
• eru = verb
• skýrar = predicate adjective

This is the most straightforward word order for a simple statement like The interview guidelines are clear.

The singular version would be:

Framtalsleiðbeiningin er skýr.

Breakdown:

• Framtalsleiðbeiningin = the interview guideline
• er = is
• skýr = clear

Notice the changes:

• plural -arnar becomes singular -in
• eru becomes er
• adjective skýrar becomes singular skýr

A rough English-friendly approximation is:

FRAHM-tahls-layth-bayt-ning-ar-nar EH-ru SKEE-rar

A few useful notes:

• á is usually like ow in now
• ei is usually like ay in say
• ý is like ee
• ð is often a soft th sound, but in some combinations it may be less clearly heard
• the rolled or tapped r is important in careful pronunciation

The safest way to learn the pronunciation is to break the compound apart:

• framtals
• leiðbeiningarnar
• eru
• skýrar

Then say it slowly and put it together.