Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Hún hætti í vinnunni, þó að hún væri spennt. - She quit her job, although she was excited.

Because after the concessive conjunction þó að (although/even though), Icelandic requires the subjunctive mood. Væri is the past subjunctive of vera (to be). Since the main clause is in the past (Hún hætti …), the natural choice is the past subjunctive væri. If the main clause were present or you were talking about a present-time fact, you’d use the present subjunctive sé: … þó að hún sé spennt.

What’s the difference between þó að and þótt? Can I drop að?

Þótt is effectively a contracted form and means the same as þó að. Both trigger the subjunctive. In everyday speech the að is often omitted: þó hún væri spennt. All three variants are fine; þótt is very common in writing.

Exactly what form is hætti, and how is hætta conjugated?

Here hætti is 3rd person singular past indicative: hún hætti = she quit. Note that 3rd person present is hættir, so hún hættir = she quits/is quitting. Mini-paradigm:

Present: ég hætti, þú hættir, hún hættir, við hættum, þið hættið, þau hætta
Past: ég/hún hætti, þú hættir, við hættum, þið hættuð, þau hættu

Why is it í vinnunni and not something like í vinnu or just vinnu?

The idiom for “quit one’s job” is hætta í vinnunni (literally “stop in the job”), with the definite form vinnunni. Í vinnu (without the article) usually means “at work/in employment” rather than a specific job. So:

Hún er í vinnu = She is at work / she has a job.
Hún hætti í vinnunni = She quit her job.

Why is vinnunni in the dative case?

The preposition í takes the dative for static location and the accusative for motion/direction. Here it’s a state (“in the job”), so dative: í vinnunni. Compare:

Direction: fara í vinnuna (go to work) — accusative.
Location/state: vera/hætta í vinnunni — dative.

Could I say hætta að vinna instead of hætta í vinnunni?

They mean different things:

hætta að vinna = stop working (stop the activity), e.g., stop for the day or stop doing that task.
hætta í vinnunni = quit one’s job (resign). Pick the one that matches your meaning.

Why is the adjective spennt and not spenntur?

Adjectives agree with the subject’s gender and number. With feminine hún, the usual predicate form is spennt. With a masculine subject it would be spenntur (hann er spenntur), and with a neuter subject spennt (það er spennt). After the copula with personal pronouns, adjectives typically take the weak endings, hence spennt here.

Where does the verb go in the þó að clause, and what happens to word order if that clause comes first?

In a þó að/þótt clause, the finite verb immediately follows the conjunction/complementizer: þó að hún væri spennt (no V2 there). If you front the concessive clause, the following main clause still obeys V2, so you invert subject and verb: Þó að hún væri spennt, hætti hún í vinnunni.

Do I need the comma before þó að?

It’s common and fine to use a comma before a following concessive clause. Under newer Icelandic comma guidelines it’s often optional; many writers keep it for clarity.

Are there other ways to say “although/even though” here?

Yes:

þótt: Hún hætti í vinnunni, þótt hún væri spennt.
þrátt fyrir að
- subjunctive: Hún hætti í vinnunni, þrátt fyrir að hún væri spennt.
enda þótt (more formal): Hún hætti í vinnunni, enda þótt hún væri spennt. All of these trigger the subjunctive in the clause with a finite verb.

Is it wrong to use the indicative after þó að (e.g., þó að hún var spennt)?

In standard, careful Icelandic, yes—use the subjunctive after þó að/þótt. Indicative does occur in casual speech, but it’s considered nonstandard in writing. Prefer þó að hún væri spennt (past) or þó að hún sé spennt (present).

Where would negation go if I wanted to say “although she wasn’t excited”?

Put ekki right after the finite verb in the subordinate clause: þó að hún væri ekki spennt. Full sentence: Hún hætti í vinnunni, þó að hún væri ekki spennt.

How would I pronounce the tricky parts?

Rough guide:

þ = unvoiced “th” in “thing”: þó, þótt
ð = voiced “th” in “this”: the ð in að
æ ≈ “eye”: hætti, væri
Double tt is preaspirated: hætti ≈ [hai̯htɪ]
nn often sounds like ≈ [ˈvɪtnʏnɪ] Close is good enough; don’t let the phonetics slow you down.

What’s the difference between Hún hætti í vinnunni and Hún er hætt í vinnunni?

Hún hætti í vinnunni: simple past event — she quit her job.
Hún er hætt í vinnunni: resultative state using the participle hætt — she has quit and is now “quit” from that job. Masculine would be hættur, neuter hætt.