Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Það er hægt að panta mat á netinu.

So Það er hægt að panta mat á netinu is literally It is possible to order food on the internet, which we usually translate more naturally as You can order food online.

Icelandic often uses this impersonal structure Það er hægt að + infinitive to express general possibilities, where English would say you can…, one can…, or it’s possible to…. It sounds neutral and impersonal, not about a specific person, but about what is generally possible.

What is the function of að before panta?

Here að is the infinitive marker, like to in English:

að panta = to order
að borða = to eat
að sofa = to sleep

In the structure Það er hægt að panta, the pattern is:

Það er hægt (it is possible)
að panta (to order)

So you need að because panta is in the infinitive form after this expression of possibility.

Why is it mat and not matur? What form is mat?

Matur is the base form (nominative singular) of the noun matur = food.

Icelandic nouns change form according to case. Here mat is the accusative singular form of matur.

You use the accusative because mat is a direct object of the verb panta (to order):

að panta mat = to order food (food is what you order)

Very simplified:

Nominative: matur – used mostly for the subject (Maturinn er góður – The food is good).
Accusative: mat – used for the direct object (Ég panta mat – I order food).

So in this sentence mat is the correct case form.

Why is it á netinu and not just á neti or á net? What’s going on with -inu?

á netinu literally means on the net / on the internet.

Breakdown:

net = net / web / internet (neuter noun)
á
- dative = often on / in (location)
dative singular of net: neti
definite dative singular: netinu = the internet

So:

á netinu = on the internet (literally)
translated naturally as online

Icelandic normally uses the definite form (netinu) here, like á Íslandi = in Iceland, á morgnana = in the mornings. Saying á neti without the article is possible in other contexts but would sound odd here; á netinu is the idiomatic way to say online in this sentence.

What case is used in á netinu, and why?

The noun netinu is in the dative singular definite.

The preposition á can take either accusative or dative, depending on the meaning:
- accusative: movement onto something (á borðið – onto the table)
- dative: location on/in something (á borðinu – on the table)

In á netinu, we are talking about location (existing on the internet), not movement to the internet. So we use á + dative:

net → dative singular: neti → definite netinu
á netinu = on the internet (location).

Can I change the word order to Það er hægt að á netinu panta mat?

No, that word order is not natural and would be considered wrong.

The basic order is:

Impersonal phrase: Það er hægt
Infinitive verb phrase: að panta mat
Adverbial (where/how): á netinu

So:

Það er hægt að panta mat á netinu.

Typically, in Icelandic, when you have að + verb, the verb and its object stay together:

að panta mat (to order food)
að lesa bókina (to read the book)
að kaupa miða (to buy tickets)

Then adverbials like á netinu, í dag (today), heima (at home) are usually placed after that phrase.

Could I express the same idea with other verbs like má or geta instead of Það er hægt? For example Má panta mat á netinu?

Yes, and the nuance changes slightly:

Má panta mat á netinu?
- má ≈ may / is allowed
- This asks if it is allowed/permitted to order food online.
Ég get pantað mat á netinu.
- get (from geta) = can / am able to
- This says I can / I am able to order food online (referring more to ability or practical possibility for me specifically).

Það er hægt að panta mat á netinu is more impersonal and neutral:

It is possible to order food online / You can order food online (in general)

So:

má → permission
getur → ability / personal possibility
er hægt → general possibility (impersonal)

What is the difference between að panta mat and að panta sér mat?

Both involve ordering food, but the nuance is:

að panta mat
- simply to order food (no extra nuance)
að panta sér mat
- sér is a reflexive dative pronoun (for oneself).
- literally to order oneself food, i.e. to order food for oneself.

Examples:

Ég ætla að panta mat. – I’m going to order food. (could be for me, for us, for someone else)
Ég ætla að panta mér/sér mat. – I’m going to order food for myself.

In everyday speech, panta sér mat is very common when you mean I’m (personally) getting food (e.g. from a delivery app). In your sentence, the general statement Það er hægt að panta mat á netinu makes sense because it’s talking about the option in general, not about for whom.

How would I say this sentence in the past or future, like It was / will be possible to order food online?

You keep the structure and just change the verb er:

Present:
- Það er hægt að panta mat á netinu.
- It is possible to order food online.
Past:
- Það var hægt að panta mat á netinu.
- It was possible to order food online.
Future:
- Það verður hægt að panta mat á netinu.
- It will be possible to order food online.

Notice that the infinitive part að panta mat á netinu stays the same; only er/var/verður changes.

How do I pronounce Það er hægt að panta mat á netinu?

Approximate pronunciation (using English-like sounds):

Það – like th in this
- a in far (shorter): [ðaː]
er – like air but shorter: [ɛr]
hægt – roughly hai (as in high) + cht (a bit like German Bach) + a t: [hai̯xt]
að – between ath and a; the ð is soft, like th in this: [að]
panta – PAHN-ta: [pʰanta] (p is strongly aspirated)
mat – like maht: [maːt]
á – like ow in now: [au]
netinu – NEH-ti-nu: [ˈnɛːtɪnʏ]

Spoken more naturally, the sentence flows like:
[ðaːr ˈɛr hai̯xt aː ˈpʰanta maːt au ˈnɛːtɪnʏ]
(the ð in Það often blends into er and can sound almost like ðar).

Is á netinu the only way to say online, or are there alternatives?

Á netinu is the most common and natural way to say online in this kind of sentence.

There are a few other expressions:

á vefnum – literally on the web (also common, especially in written language or tech contexts).
á netinu / á vefnum can often be used interchangeably, though á netinu feels slightly more general.

In your sentence, both:

Það er hægt að panta mat á netinu.
Það er hægt að panta mat á vefnum.

are correct and understandable, but á netinu is probably what you’ll hear most often in everyday speech.