Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Ég hafði prentað skjalið áður en prentarinn bilaði. - I had printed the document before the printer broke.

It’s the past perfect: auxiliary hafa in past (hafði) + the verb’s supine (prentað). Icelandic uses this to show one past event was completed before another past event. Here, printing finished before the printer broke down.

Could I just use the simple past (prentaði) instead of hafði prentað?

Yes: Ég prentaði skjalið áður en prentarinn bilaði is grammatical. The past perfect (hafði prentað) makes the sequence explicit and feels more natural when you want to stress completion before the other past event.

What does áður en do? Can I use áður by itself?

áður en introduces a clause meaning “before [something happens/happened].”
áður alone is an adverb meaning “earlier/previously.”
Examples:
Clause: Ég hafði prentað skjalið áður en prentarinn bilaði.
Adverb only: Ég hafði prentað skjalið áður. (no following clause)

Does en here mean “but”?

Not here. In áður en, en is part of a fixed expression meaning “before.” Think of it as a set phrase.

Why is it skjalið and not just skjal?

skjalið is the definite form “the document.” Icelandic attaches the definite article as a suffix: skjal (a document) → skjalið (the document). The sentence refers to a specific, known document.

What case is skjalið, and why?

Accusative singular (neuter). The verb prenta “to print” takes a direct object in the accusative. For many neuter nouns, nominative and accusative singular look the same; the -ið here is the definite article.

Why is it prentarinn (with -inn), and what form is it?

prentarinn is the nominative singular definite of prentari “printer (machine).” It’s the subject of the subordinate clause, so nominative is required. Indefinite nominative would be prentari; accusative/dative/genitive singular forms are prentara.

What exactly is bilaði? Could I use a different verb for “broke”?

bilaði is past 3rd singular of bila “to break down, malfunction” (used for machines). Don’t use brjóta (“break” something physically) for a device failing by itself. If the machine simply stopped working, bila is the natural choice.

Where does negation go?

After the auxiliary: Ég hafði ekki prentað skjalið áður en prentarinn bilaði.
Placing ekki after prentað is ungrammatical in this structure.

Can I put the “before”-clause at the beginning?

Yes: Áður en prentarinn bilaði, hafði ég prentað skjalið. A comma after the initial subordinate clause is standard.

Is Icelandic subordinate word order V2? Why is it áður en prentarinn bilaði and not … bilaði prentarinn?

In most subordinate clauses (including after áður en), Icelandic uses regular SVO order, not V2. So: subject (prentarinn) before the finite verb (bilaði).

Is hafði prentað a passive?

No. It’s active perfect (past perfect). A passive would use vera + past participle agreeing in gender/number, e.g., Skjalið var prentað (“The document was printed”).

Do I ever need að after áður en (like áður en að…)?

Standard usage is just áður en. Some speakers insert að colloquially, but formal/standard Icelandic avoids it here.

How do I pronounce the tricky letters here?

ég: initial j-sound (“yeh”), final g as a soft voiced fricative. Roughly “yegh.”
ð in hafði/bilaði/prentað: voiced “th” in “this.” At word-end (prentað), it’s very soft and often barely audible.
skj in skjalið: the j palatalizes the cluster; think “sky-a.” Stress is always on the first syllable in Icelandic.

What are the past forms of hafa (to have) for reference?

ég hafði
þú hafðir
hann/hún/það hafði
við höfðum
þið höfðuð
þeir/þær/þau höfðu

Can Icelandic drop the subject pronoun like Spanish? Could I say Hafði prentað skjalið…?

No. Icelandic is not a pro-drop language in the modern standard. You need the subject pronoun: Ég hafði prentað skjalið…