Slysin á veturna eru oft verri þegar vegurinn er sleipur.

The accidents in the winter are often worse when the road is slippery.

Breakdown of Slysin á veturna eru oft verri þegar vegurinn er sleipur.

• vera: to be
• þegar: when
• á: in
• vegurinn: the road

Questions & Answers about Slysin á veturna eru oft verri þegar vegurinn er sleipur.

Why does slysin end in -in? Does it literally mean the accidents?

Yes. Slysin is the definite plural of slys (accident).

• Base noun: slys (n.) – an accident / accidents
• Nom./acc. plural indefinite: slys – accidents
• Nom./acc. plural definite: slysin – the accidents

So literally Slysin á veturna is the accidents in (the) winter(s).

Icelandic often uses the definite form when speaking about a group in a general way, where English would normally use no article:

• Slysin á veturna ≈ Accidents in winter (in general)
• Börnin læra mikið í skólanum ≈ Children learn a lot at school

So you should not over‑translate the the here; it’s a normal generic use of the definite in Icelandic.

Could I say slys á veturna instead of slysin á veturna? What’s the difference?