Word by word:
So literally it is I am free in day, which corresponds to natural English I’m free today. The phrase í dag is an idiomatic time expression meaning today, not in the day in normal usage.
Frjáls is an adjective, and in Icelandic adjectives agree with the noun (or pronoun’s referent) in gender, number, and case.
The basic forms of frjáls in the nominative singular are:
In Ég er frjáls í dag, frjáls is describing ég (I). The pronoun ég can refer to a male or a female person, but grammatically it behaves like masculine/feminine here, so you use frjáls, not frjálst.
You would use:
So frjáls is the correct form because the subject Ég is not neuter.
Both can translate as free, but they have different typical uses:
frjáls
laus
In everyday speech, if you mean I’m not busy; I’m available, Ég er laus í dag is usually more idiomatic than Ég er frjáls í dag.
Yes, frjáls very naturally has the meaning free vs. bound / imprisoned / enslaved.
So, in a suitable context:
Without context, most people will probably interpret it as I’m free / at liberty today, but if the topic is prison, obligation, control, or similar, the meaning not imprisoned becomes strong and clear.
Default, neutral word order in Icelandic is similar to English:
Í dag is a time adverbial and very commonly comes at the end of the sentence.
You can say Ég er í dag frjáls, but:
Time adverbials in Icelandic can move for emphasis, but for a normal, neutral statement, Ég er frjáls í dag is the most natural word order.
Generally no. In Icelandic, the subject pronoun is normally required, unlike in many Romance languages.
So:
You might see subject dropping in very informal writing (text messages, notes, diaries) when the subject is totally obvious, but in standard, correct Icelandic you should keep Ég.
To negate Ég er frjáls í dag, you insert ekki (not) after the verb er:
Basic pattern in the present tense:
The time expression í dag remains at the end:
Approximate pronunciation (IPA) and notes:
Ég: [jɛiːɣ] or [jɛːɣ]
er: [ɛr̥] or [ɛr]
frjáls: [frjau̯s] or [frjau̯ls]
í: [iː]
dag: [taːɣ] (often with devoiced [taːk̚] at the end)
Stress is on the first syllable of each word: Ég, er, frjáls, í, dag.
Í dag is the standard, neutral way to say today:
Í daginn also exists, but:
For a learner, the safest and most correct general choice is í dag whenever you mean today.
The present tense of vera is irregular and very common. Here are the singular and plural forms:
Singular:
Plural:
Using these with frjáls í dag:
Common, natural options include:
Ég er laus í dag.
Ég hef tíma í dag.
Ég er ekki upptekinn í dag. (for a man)
Ég er ekki upptekin í dag. (for a woman)
Ég er frjáls í dag is correct Icelandic and understandable, but in the everyday “I’m not busy” sense, Ég er laus í dag is probably the most natural-sounding choice.