Netnámskeiðið er ókeypis í dag.

The online course is free today.

Breakdown of Netnámskeiðið er ókeypis í dag.

• vera: to be
• í dag: today
• netnámskeiðið: the online course
• ókeypis: free

Questions & Answers about Netnámskeiðið er ókeypis í dag.

What does the ending -ið on netnámskeiðið do?

In Icelandic the definite article (the) is usually attached to the end of the noun.
So netnámskeið = online course, and netnámskeiðið = the online course.
Here -ið is the definite article for a neuter noun in the singular (in the nominative/accusative form).

How do I know netnámskeið is neuter, and why does that matter here?

Gender is a property of the noun in Icelandic (masculine/feminine/neuter) and often has to be learned with the word. Námskeið (and compounds ending in it, like netnámskeið) is neuter.
It matters because:

• the attached definite article changes by gender (-inn, -in, -ið, etc.)
• adjectives sometimes agree with the noun (though ókeypis is a special case; see below)

Why is the sentence Netnámskeiðið er ókeypis í dag and not Netnámskeiðið er ókeypist (with adjective agreement)?

Many Icelandic adjectives agree in gender/number/case (e.g., góður/góð/gott). But ókeypis is commonly used as an indeclinable adjective (it typically doesn’t change form).
So you say er ókeypis, not ókeypist.

What role does er play here?

Er is the present tense of að vera (to be). It links the subject netnámskeiðið to a description/state (ókeypis).
Structure-wise, this is a classic “copula” sentence:
[Subject] + er + [predicate adjective] + [time phrase].

Can I move í dag to the front: Í dag er netnámskeiðið ókeypis?

Yes. Both are natural:

• Netnámskeiðið er ókeypis í dag. (neutral, statement-focused on the course)
• Í dag er netnámskeiðið ókeypis. (puts emphasis on today)

When a time phrase is placed first, Icelandic keeps verb-second word order, so er comes right after Í dag.

Why is it í dag—what case is used after í here?

The preposition í can take accusative or dative, depending on meaning. With time expressions like í dag (today), it’s a fixed, very common phrase and behaves like “in/at” + time.
You don’t need to actively decline dag here because the phrase is idiomatic and standard as í dag.

Is netnámskeiðið one word? How is it built?

Yes—compounds are extremely common in Icelandic and are usually written as one word.
netnámskeið = net (internet) + námskeið (course).
Then the definite article is added: netnámskeiðið.

How is Netnámskeiðið pronounced (especially ð and the long word)?

A practical breakdown:

• Stress is on the first syllable: NET-...
• ð is often a soft “th” sound (like in this), but it can be very light or almost disappear in fast speech depending on context.
• ei in skeið is like an “ay” diphthong.

A helpful strategy is to chunk it: net + náms + keið + ið.

Why isn’t there a separate word for the in the sentence?

Icelandic usually expresses the with the enclitic (attached) definite article: -ið in netnámskeiðið.
There is also a separate demonstrative (þetta = “this”), but that’s different from the normal definite article.

If I wanted to say “The online course is free tomorrow,” do I just replace í dag?

Yes, you can swap the time phrase:

• Netnámskeiðið er ókeypis á morgun. (tomorrow)
  You can also front it:
• Á morgun er netnámskeiðið ókeypis.

What would change if it were plural, like “The online courses are free today”?

You’d change both the noun and the verb:

• Netnámskeiðin eru ókeypis í dag.
  Here netnámskeiðin = the online courses (definite plural), and eru = are.