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Starfsmaðurinn svarar fljótlega fyrirspurninni og segir að umsóknin sé í vinnslu.

Starfsmaðurinn svarar fljótlega fyrirspurninni og segir að umsóknin sé í vinnslu.
The employee answers the inquiry soon and says that the application is being processed.
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Questions & Answers about Starfsmaðurinn svarar fljótlega fyrirspurninni og segir að umsóknin sé í vinnslu.

What does the -inn ending in Starfsmaðurinn mean?

-inn is the suffixed definite article for masculine singular nominative.
So starfsmaður = an employee, and starfsmaðurinn = the employee.
Icelandic usually puts “the” on the end of the noun (instead of a separate word like English).

Why is it fyrirspurninni and not fyrirspurnina?

Because the verb svara (to answer) typically takes a dative object in Icelandic.

  • fyrirspurn (f.) = inquiry
  • fyrirspurnina would be accusative (not used with svara in standard usage)
  • fyrirspurninni = dative singular definite (“to/for the inquiry” → “the inquiry” as the thing being answered)

So svarar … fyrirspurninni is the normal pattern.

How do I know that fyrirspurninni is dative definite?

It’s the combination of:

  • the dative singular ending (here you see -i in the article ending), and
  • the definite article attached to the noun (-nni is a common definite dative singular ending for feminine nouns).

A quick case table for this noun (common pattern):

  • N: fyrirspurnin
  • A: fyrirspurnina
  • D: fyrirspurninni
  • G: fyrirspurnarinnar
What part of speech is fljótlega, and where does it usually go in the sentence?

fljótlega is an adverb meaning something like quickly / soon / shortly.

Position-wise, it often goes:

  • after the verb: svarar fljótlega
  • or earlier for emphasis (depending on style), but your sentence uses a very common, neutral placement.
Is there a difference between fljótlega and fljótt?

Often both can translate as “quickly,” but they feel a bit different:

  • fljótt = “quick(ly)” in a straightforward way (often about speed)
  • fljótlega = “soon / before long / quickly” with a “shortly” feeling (often about happening after a short time)

In many contexts they overlap, but fljótlega is very natural for “will respond shortly.”

Why does Icelandic use segir að … here?

segir að … is a common way to introduce a reported statement (like “says that …”).

So the structure is:

  • Main clause: Starfsmaðurinn … segir
  • Subordinate clause introduced by að: að umsóknin …

It’s essentially the standard “says that …” construction.

Why is it sé and not er (both from vera, “to be”)?

sé is the present subjunctive form of vera.

In Icelandic, after verbs like segja (say), halda (think), telja (consider), etc., especially in reported speech, the subordinate clause often uses the subjunctive:

  • segir að umsóknin sé í vinnslu

In more casual/modern usage you may also hear the indicative (er) in some contexts, but sé is very standard and “textbook-correct” for reported information like this.

What case is umsóknin, and why?

umsóknin is nominative singular definite (“the application”).

Even though it comes after að, it is the subject of the subordinate clause:

  • umsóknin (subject) + sé (verb) + í vinnslu (phrase)

So it stays nominative, just like “the application” is the subject in “the application is being processed.”

What does í vinnslu literally mean, and is it an idiom?

Literally:

  • í = in
  • vinnsla = processing / handling / working (noun)

í vinnslu is a very common idiomatic phrase meaning “in processing / being processed / being handled.”
It’s used a lot in customer-service or administrative contexts.

How would I put the whole sentence into the past tense?

A natural past version is:

Starfsmaðurinn svaraði fljótlega fyrirspurninni og sagði að umsóknin væri í vinnslu.

Changes:

  • svarar → svaraði (past)
  • segir → sagði (past)
  • sé → væri (past subjunctive of vera)
Any pronunciation tips for tricky words in this sentence?

A few common trouble spots for English speakers:

  • Starfsmaðurinn: roughly starvs-mah-thur-inn
    (the ð in maður is like the th in this)
  • fyrirspurninni: roughly FIR-ir-spur-nin-nih
    (stress is on the first syllable: FYR-)
  • umsóknin: roughly UM-sowk-nin (with ó like a long “o” sound)

(Exact pronunciation varies by accent/region, but these cues usually get you close.)