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Stjórnandinn segir að hann muni afgreiða endurgreiðsluna í dag.

Stjórnandinn segir að hann muni afgreiða endurgreiðsluna í dag.
The manager says that he will process the refund today.

Breakdown of Stjórnandinn segir að hann muni afgreiða endurgreiðsluna í dag.

hann
he
segja
to say
að
that
í dag
today
munu
will
endurgreiðslan
the refund
stjórnandinn
the manager
afgreiða
to process
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Questions & Answers about Stjórnandinn segir að hann muni afgreiða endurgreiðsluna í dag.

Why is there an -inn at the end of Stjórnandinn?

In Icelandic the definite article is usually attached to the noun as a suffix.

  • stjórnandi = administrator/manager (indefinite)
  • stjórnandinn = the administrator/manager (definite, nominative singular)
    The ending also reflects case/number: here it’s the subject, so it’s in nominative singular.
Why is the verb segir in second position, and not later in the sentence?

Main clauses in Icelandic follow the V2 pattern: the finite verb typically comes in the second “slot.”
Here the first slot is filled by the subject Stjórnandinn, so the verb segir comes next:

  • Stjórnandinn (slot 1) + segir (slot 2) + rest.
What does að do here?

að introduces a subordinate (dependent) clause, similar to that in English. It signals that what follows is reported speech/thought/content:

  • segir að ... = says that ...
Why is the word order different after að?

After að, you’re in a subordinate clause, and Icelandic does not use V2 there in the same way. The finite verb typically comes after the subject:

  • að hann muni ... (subject hann before finite verb muni)
    Whereas in a main clause you might see V2-like order more often.
What exactly is muni? Is it “will”?

It’s a form of the verb munu used to express futurity (often like will). In this sentence muni is commonly analyzed as present subjunctive, which is frequent in reported/embedded clauses after verbs like segja.
In a direct main-clause statement you often see:

  • Hann mun afgreiða ... (more “straight” future in a main clause)
    But after segir að, muni is very common/idiomatic.
Could you just say Stjórnandinn segir að hann afgreiði endurgreiðsluna í dag without muni?

Yes, sometimes. Icelandic can use the present (often with subjunctive in subordinate clauses) to refer to scheduled/near-future actions, especially with a time adverbial like í dag.
Using muni makes the future/intended sense more explicit, similar to adding will in English.

Why is afgreiða in the infinitive?

Because it’s the main verb controlled by munu. The structure is:

  • finite auxiliary-like verb muni
    • infinitive afgreiða
      Comparable to English will + verb.
What case is endurgreiðsluna, and why does it end in -una?

endurgreiðsluna is accusative singular definite (feminine), used as the direct object of afgreiða.

  • endurgreiðsla (nom. sg., indefinite)
  • endurgreiðslu (acc. sg., indefinite)
  • endurgreiðsluna (acc. sg., definite) = -na attached to the accusative form.
How can I tell that endurgreiðsla is feminine?

You often learn noun gender with the dictionary form, but there are clues:

  • Many nouns ending in -a are feminine (though not all).
    Also, the definite accusative ending -una is a strong signal you’re dealing with a feminine noun in accusative singular definite.
Why is it í dag and not just dag?
í dag is the fixed Icelandic expression for today (literally in day). It behaves like an adverbial time phrase. Icelandic commonly uses prepositions in time expressions that English expresses without one.
How would this look as a direct quote (not reported with að)?

A natural direct version would be something like:

  • Stjórnandinn segir: Hann mun afgreiða endurgreiðsluna í dag.
    or simply:
  • Hann mun afgreiða endurgreiðsluna í dag.
    Notice mun (main-clause form) is typical there, instead of embedded muni.
Any pronunciation pitfalls in this sentence?

A few common ones for English speakers:

  • Stjórnandinn: the tj sound is like a palatalized t (not English sh). Stress is on the first syllable: STJÓR-.
  • segir: the g is soft here (often like a voiced/approximant sound, not a hard English g).
  • afgreiða: ð is typically like the th in this (voiced).
  • endurgreiðsluna: long compound; keep primary stress near the start (EN-), and pronounce ei like the Icelandic diphthong (not English ee).