Í kvöld getum við annaðhvort hlustað á hljóðbók eða lesið bók.

Tonight we can either listen to an audiobook or read a book.

Breakdown of Í kvöld getum við annaðhvort hlustað á hljóðbók eða lesið bók.

• við: we
• lesa: to read
• bókin: the book
• í kvöld: tonight

Questions & Answers about Í kvöld getum við annaðhvort hlustað á hljóðbók eða lesið bók.

Why does the sentence start with Í kvöld, and why is the verb getum right after it?

This is the common Icelandic V2 (verb-second) pattern in main clauses: whichever element you put first (often a time phrase) is followed by the finite verb.

• Í kvöld = an adverbial time phrase placed in the first position.
• getum is the finite (conjugated) verb, so it comes second.
• The subject við then comes after the verb.

So the structure is essentially:
[Time] + [finite verb] + [subject] + …

What exactly is getum—what verb is it and what form?

getum is the 1st person plural, present tense form of the verb geta (to be able to / can).

• ég get = I can
• þú getur = you can
• við getum = we can
• þið getið = you (pl.) can
• þeir/þær/þau geta = they can

Why do we see hlustað and lesið instead of something like hlusta and lesa?