Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Röddin hennar hljómar vel þegar hún syngur.

Definite article is a suffix
- Icelandic usually adds -inn / -in / -ið (etc.) to the noun instead of putting the in front.
- So rödd = voice, röddin = the voice.
Possessive pronoun can come after the noun
- Very common pattern: noun + (definite) + possessor
  - húsið mitt = my house
  - bíllinn hans = his car
  - röddin hennar = her voice
- English usually has possessive + noun (her voice), but Icelandic often has noun + her, especially with 3rd‑person possessives.

So the word order looks odd from an English perspective, but röddin hennar is the most natural way to say her voice here.

Why is it röddin and not just rödd? When do you use the definite article in Icelandic?

Röddin is the voice (with the definite article), while rödd would simply be a voice / voice.

In this sentence, we are talking about a specific, known voice: her voice. In Icelandic, that often triggers the definite form:

Röddin hennar hljómar vel.
= Her voice (the voice of hers) sounds good.

If you said Rödd hennar hljómar vel, it is still grammatical and understandable, but:

Röddin hennar feels more like her particular voice that we both know about.
Rödd hennar is more like a voice of hers (slightly less specific / a bit more formal or written style here).

Practically, when you say X hennar / hans / þeirra (her/his/their X), it is very common to put the noun in the definite:

Bíllinn hans = his car
Hundurinn hennar = her dog
Röddin hennar = her voice

Why is it hennar and not henni or hana? Which form of hún is this?

Hennar is the genitive form of the pronoun hún (she), used to show possession.

The main forms of hún are:

hún – nominative (subject): Hún syngur. = She sings.
hana – accusative (direct object): Ég sé hana. = I see her.
henni – dative (indirect object): Ég gef henni bók. = I give her a book.
hennar – genitive (possessive): Þetta er röddin hennar. = This is her voice.

In Röddin hennar, we need the possessive form, so we use hennar, not henni or hana.

Could it also be hennar rödd instead of röddin hennar? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say hennar rödd, but:

Röddin hennar is more natural and common in everyday speech.
Hennar rödd sounds a bit more formal, literary, or emphatic (like stressing the her).

Rough feel:

Röddin hennar hljómar vel. – neutral, normal: Her voice sounds good.
Hennar rödd hljómar vel. – a bit more like: Her voice sounds good (as opposed to someone else’s), or slightly bookish.

Also notice: with hennar rödd, the noun is usually indefinite (rödd, not röddin), because the possessive is in front and plays some of the role of “definiteness”:

hennar rödd = her voice
röddin hennar = the voice of hers (= her voice)

In practice, röddin hennar is what you’d most often hear.

What exactly does hljómar mean, and what form is it in?

Hljómar is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb að hljóma = to sound (to have a certain sound / impression).

Conjugation (present tense) of hljóma:

ég hljóma – I sound
þú hljómar – you sound (sg.)
hann / hún / það hljómar – he / she / it sounds
við hljóðum
þið hljóðið
þeir / þær / þau hljóma

So in the sentence:

Röddin hennar hljómar vel
= Her voice sounds good.

The Icelandic present tense covers both English simple and continuous:

Röddin hennar hljómar vel
can mean:
- Her voice sounds good.
- Her voice is sounding good (right now).

Context decides which nuance you understand.

Why is it hljómar vel and not something like hljómar gott? Why vel?

Vel is an adverb meaning well.
Góður / góð / gott are adjectives meaning good.

In Icelandic, like in English, you generally use:

adjectives to describe nouns: góð rödd = a good voice
adverbs to describe verbs: syngur vel = (she) sings well, hljómar vel = (it) sounds good / well

So:

Röddin hennar er góð. = Her voice is good. (adjective góð with noun rödd)
Röddin hennar hljómar vel. = Her voice sounds good. (adverb vel with verb hljómar)

Using hljómar gott would sound wrong here, just like sounds goodly would be wrong in English.

What does þegar hún syngur literally mean, and why is the order not þegar syngur hún?

Þegar hún syngur breaks down as:

þegar = when
hún = she
syngur = sings / is singing (3rd person singular present of syngja)

Literal structure: when she sings.

About word order:

In subordinate clauses (introduced by þegar, að, af því að, etc.), Icelandic normally has:
- Subject – Verb – Object (SVO), like English.
- So: þegar hún syngur, not þegar syngur hún.
Þegar syngur hún would only appear in very marked, poetic, or old-fashioned language.

In a main clause, you often see “verb-second” effects (the verb tends to be in second position), but in this subordinate clause after þegar, the standard pattern is subject before verb: hún syngur.

Why is it syngur and not syngja? What is the base form of this verb?

The base (dictionary) form is að syngja = to sing.

Syngur is the 3rd person singular present tense:

Present tense of syngja:

ég syng – I sing
þú syngur – you sing (sg.)
hann / hún / það syngur – he / she / it sings
við syngjum – we sing
þið syngið – you sing (pl.)
þeir / þær / þau syngja – they sing

So in þegar hún syngur, syngur matches hún (she):

þegar hún syngur = when she sings / when she is singing.

Could I say þegar hún er að syngja instead of þegar hún syngur? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say þegar hún er að syngja, but the nuance is a bit different:

þegar hún syngur
- General / habitual: when she sings (whenever she sings)
- Also usable for “when she is singing” in a more general or timeless sense.
þegar hún er að syngja
- Focuses more on the ongoing action: when she is (in the act of) singing.
- Slightly more “right now” or concrete in many contexts.

In your sentence:

Röddin hennar hljómar vel þegar hún syngur.
Sounds like a general truth: Her voice sounds good whenever she sings.
Röddin hennar hljómar vel þegar hún er að syngja.
Leans a bit more towards describing the situation while she is actively in the process of singing.

Both are grammatical; choice depends on nuance.

What cases are used for röddin, hennar, and hún in this sentence?

The cases are:

Röddin – nominative singular
- It is the subject of the main clause: Röddin hennar hljómar vel.
hennar – genitive singular
- Possessive: whose voice? her voice.
- Genitive is the standard case for “of X / X’s” in Icelandic.
hún – nominative singular
- Subject of the subordinate clause: þegar hún syngur = when she sings.

So:

Main clause: Röddin hennar (nom. + gen.) hljómar vel.
Subordinate clause: þegar hún (nom.) syngur.

How do you pronounce tricky parts like ö, dd in röddin, and hj in hljómar?

Approximate guidance (not IPA-perfect, but useful):

1. Ö in röddin

ö is similar to the vowel in British English “bird” or “fur”, but with rounded lips.
So röddin is roughly like “rudd-in”, with a short rounded ö.

2. dd in röddin

In words like rödd, dd is often a short, hard t/d-like sound, a bit like the tt in “butter” in many American accents.
Very short, not like English long d-d.

So röddin ≈ [rö-tin] (very roughly).

3. Hlj in hljómar

hlj is a cluster: h
- lj.
lj is like “ly” in “million”, and the h is lightly pronounced before it.
English speakers often approximate hljómar as something like “lyo-mar” with a soft h at the start.

4. Ng in syngur

ng in syngur is a single nasal sound (like ng in “sing”).
syngur is roughly “sing-ur” (with Icelandic y like the vowel in “sit”).

These are approximations, but they should get you close enough to be understood.