Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Fuglinn fyrir utan gluggann syngur stundum hátt. - The bird outside the window sometimes sings loudly.

Nominative singular: gluggi – a window
Accusative singular: glugga – a window (object)
Definite accusative singular: gluggann = glugga + inn → consonants assimilate and you get -gann.

In this sentence, fyrir utan (“outside (of)”) is a preposition that takes the accusative, so the window must be in accusative: gluggann.

What exactly is fyrir utan? Is it one word or two, and what does it do grammatically?

fyrir utan is a compound preposition (two words acting together as one preposition).

Literally: something like “for outside / in front outside”
Usual meaning here: outside (of)

Grammatically it:

Forms a prepositional phrase: fyrir utan gluggann = outside the window
Takes the accusative case → gluggann (not gluggi or gluggans)

Why is the word order Fuglinn fyrir utan gluggann syngur… and not Fuglinn syngur fyrir utan gluggann?

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things:

Fuglinn fyrir utan gluggann syngur stundum hátt.
Here, fyrir utan gluggann is attached directly to fuglinn.
→ “The bird outside the window sometimes sings loudly.”
It identifies which bird we’re talking about (the one outside the window).
Fuglinn syngur stundum hátt fyrir utan gluggann.
Here, fyrir utan gluggann modifies the verb phrase syngur.
→ “The bird sometimes sings loudly outside the window.”
It tells you where the singing happens, not which bird.

So the original word order makes fyrir utan gluggann part of the noun phrase:
[Fuglinn fyrir utan gluggann] syngur…

Why is it syngur and not syngja?

syngja is the infinitive (to sing).
In a sentence with a subject, you normally use a finite verb form.

The verb að syngja in the present tense:

Ég syng – I sing
Þú syngur – you sing (sg.)
Hann / hún / það syngur – he / she / it sings
Við syngjum – we sing
Þið syngjið – you (pl.) sing
Þeir / þær / þau syngja – they sing

Fuglinn is 3rd person singular, so the correct form is syngur (sings), not syngja.

What does stundum mean, and where can it go in the sentence?

stundum means sometimes (a frequency adverb).

Neutral positions include:

Fuglinn fyrir utan gluggann syngur stundum hátt.
Stundum syngur fuglinn fyrir utan gluggann hátt.

General tendencies:

stundum often goes before the main verb or just after it.
Putting it at the very beginning (fronting) is common for emphasis:
Stundum syngur fuglinn… = Sometimes the bird sings…

Other orders (like syngur hátt stundum) are possible but sound marked or less natural in everyday speech.

Why is it hátt and not hár or some other form?

The adjective hár basically means high (in position or pitch), but its forms are also used adverbially to mean loud(ly) or in a high voice.

hár – base form (masculine nominative singular)
hátt – neuter singular form, used here as an adverb

Icelandic often forms adverbs by taking the neuter singular form of an adjective:

hár → hátt (high / loudly)
rólegur → rólega (calm / calmly) – this one uses the -lega pattern

So syngur hátt = sings loudly / sings in a high voice.

Is hátt “high” or “loud”? How should I think about its meaning here?

Literally, hátt is from hár = high.

In context with syngja (to sing), it usually means:

“in a high pitch”
and often effectively “loudly”

Everyday translation: “sings loudly” is natural.
More literal: “sings in a high voice / high pitch”.

Both ideas (high + loud) can be felt in the Icelandic; English normally forces you to pick one.

Why is it fyrir utan gluggann (accusative) and not utan gluggans (genitive)?

Two related but different prepositional patterns:

utan on its own normally takes genitive:
- utan gluggans = outside the window (more formal/old-fashioned in everyday speech)
fyrir utan is a fixed phrase that takes accusative:
- fyrir utan gluggann = outside the window (very common, neutral)

So in this sentence, since we have fyrir utan, the noun must be in accusative → gluggann.
You could say utan gluggans in other sentences, but then you’re using a different preposition: utan, not fyrir utan.

Can I say Fuglinn syngur stundum hátt fyrir utan gluggann instead?

Yes, that is grammatically correct, but the nuance shifts:

Fuglinn fyrir utan gluggann syngur stundum hátt.
→ “The bird outside the window sometimes sings loudly.”
Focus: which bird.
Fuglinn syngur stundum hátt fyrir utan gluggann.
→ “The bird sometimes sings loudly outside the window.”
Focus: where the singing happens.

Both are fine; choose based on whether you’re identifying the bird or describing the location of the singing.

How would the sentence change if I wanted “The birds outside the window sometimes sing loudly”?

You mainly need to:

make fuglinn plural and definite
agree the verb with a plural subject

Forms:

Singular: fuglinn syngur – the bird sings
Plural: fuglarnir syngja – the birds sing

So:

Fuglarnir fyrir utan gluggann syngja stundum hátt.
= “The birds outside the window sometimes sing loudly.”