Við kvörtum ekki, þó að röðin sé löng.

We don’t complain, even though the line is long.

Breakdown of Við kvörtum ekki, þó að röðin sé löng.

• vera: to be
• ekki: not
• við: we
• langur: long
• röðin: the line
• kvarta: to complain
• þó að: even though

Questions & Answers about Við kvörtum ekki, þó að röðin sé löng.

What form is kvörtum, and what verb does it come from?

Kvörtum is the present tense, 1st person plural form of the verb kvarta (to complain).

• infinitive: að kvarta
• present (we): við kvörtum
  It’s a regular pattern for many Icelandic verbs: -um often marks we in the present tense.

Do I always need to say við (we), or can it be dropped?

In modern Icelandic you normally keep the subject pronoun (við) if you mean we. Icelandic verb endings do show person/number, but not so uniquely that speakers reliably drop pronouns the way Spanish speakers often can. Dropping við would sound unusual or poetic in most everyday contexts.

Why is ekki placed after the verb: kvörtum ekki?

In a normal main clause Icelandic has verb-second (V2) word order, so the finite verb comes early, and ekki typically comes right after the finite verb (or after the subject + finite verb).
So you get:

• Við kvörtum ekki (We do not complain)

You’ll also see ekki after an auxiliary if there is one, e.g. Við getum ekki kvarta (We cannot complain).

What does þó að do in this sentence?

Þó að introduces a concessive subordinate clause, roughly though / even though. It sets up a contrast: the main clause holds true despite what follows in the þó að clause.

Also note: the comma before þó að is normal because it introduces a subordinate clause.

Why is it sé and not er?

Sé is the present subjunctive of vera (to be). After þó að, Icelandic often uses the subjunctive, especially when the clause is concessive, slightly hypothetical, or presented as a circumstance being conceded.
So:

• indicative: er (is)
• subjunctive: sé

In some contexts you may hear the indicative after þó að, but þó að ... sé is a very common, standard choice.

What exactly is sé grammatically?

It’s the finite verb in the subordinate clause and it agrees with the subject röðin (singular). Paradigm-wise, it’s from vera:

• indicative present: ég er, þú ert, hann/hún/það er, við erum, þið eruð, þeir/þær/þau eru
• subjunctive present (common set): ég sé, þú sért, hann/hún/það sé, við séum, þið séuð, þeir/þær/þau séu

Here you have: (þó að) röðin sé ...

Why is it röðin and not just röð?

Röðin means the line/queue. Icelandic often attaches the definite article to the end of the noun:

• röð = a line / a row / a queue
• röðin = the line

So -in here is the suffixed definite article for a feminine noun in the nominative singular.

What case is röðin in, and why?

Röðin is nominative singular because it’s the subject of the subordinate clause röðin sé löng (the line is long). The verb vera (to be) links a subject to a predicate, so the subject stays nominative.

Why is the adjective löng and not langt or langa?

Löng is feminine nominative singular to agree with röðin (a feminine noun) in a predicate adjective position:

• röðin (fem. nom. sg.) + löng (fem. nom. sg.)

Comparison with other genders:

• masculine: langur
• feminine: löng
• neuter: langt

Also, langa is the weak feminine form used mainly attributively with a definite noun (e.g. langa röðin = the long line). But after vera (predicate position), Icelandic typically uses the strong form: röðin er löng.

Is the word order in the þó að clause special?

Yes: once you’re inside a subordinate clause (introduced by að here), Icelandic does not follow main-clause V2 in the same way. The finite verb commonly comes after the subject:

• þó að röðin sé löng (though the line is long)

That subject–verb order is typical for subordinate clauses.

How would pronunciation trip up an English speaker here (especially þó, röðin, and löng)?

Common points:

• þ in þó is like English th in thin (voiceless).
• ó is a long vowel, roughly like a long o (not exactly English oh, but close enough to start).
• ð in röðin is like English th in this (voiced), often softer between vowels.
• ö in röðin is similar to a rounded vowel like German ö (not found in standard English).
• ng in löng is typically a single ng sound like in English song.

Stress in Icelandic is almost always on the first syllable: RÖ-ðin, LÖng.

Could I also say something like Við erum ekki að kvarta instead of Við kvörtum ekki?

Yes, and the nuance can change slightly:

• Við kvörtum ekki is a straightforward statement: we do not complain (as a general fact / in this situation).
• Við erum ekki að kvarta is more like We’re not (in the act of) complaining, often used to emphasize that you’re not trying to complain right now, even if you’re describing a negative situation.

Both are natural; the original sentence is concise and very common.