Forritið uppfærist sjálfkrafa á nóttunni, þannig að ég þarf ekki að opna það.

The app updates automatically at night, so I don’t need to open it.

Breakdown of Forritið uppfærist sjálfkrafa á nóttunni, þannig að ég þarf ekki að opna það.

• ég: I
• það: it
• ekki: not
• að: to
• þurfa: to need
• opna: to open
• á: at
• forritið: the app
• nóttin: the night
• sjálfkrafa: automatically
• uppfærast: to update
• þannig að: so (that)

Questions & Answers about Forritið uppfærist sjálfkrafa á nóttunni, þannig að ég þarf ekki að opna það.

Why is it Forritið and not just forrit?

Forritið is forrit (program) with the definite article attached, meaning the program.

• forrit = a program / program (indefinite)
• forritið = the program (definite)
  In Icelandic, the word forrit is neuter, and the definite ending in the nominative singular is typically -ið.

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What does the -st ending in uppfærist do?

The -st ending is the Icelandic middle voice (often overlapping with passive-like meaning). Here it makes the verb mean something like updates (by itself) / gets updated, without naming an agent.
So Forritið uppfærist focuses on the event happening automatically, rather than on who updates it.

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Is uppfærist present tense? How would past tense look?

Yes, uppfærist is present tense (“updates”).
A common past tense is uppfærðist (“updated” / “was updated”).
So you could say: Forritið uppfærðist í gær. = “The program updated yesterday.”

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Where does the adverb sjálfkrafa go in the sentence?

Sjálfkrafa (“automatically”) is an adverb and commonly comes after the verb in simple main clauses:

• Forritið uppfærist sjálfkrafa.
  That placement is very typical for adverbs describing how something happens.

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Why is it á nóttunni and not á nóttin?

Because the preposition á (in this time sense) typically takes the dative case, and nóttunni is dative singular definite (“the night”).

• nótt = night
• nóttin = the night (nominative)
• nóttunni = the night (dative)

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What’s the difference between á nóttunni and um nóttina?

Both can mean “at night,” but they often differ in nuance:

• á nóttunni tends to mean during the night (habitually / generally) or at night as a time period.
• um nóttina often means during the night with a slightly more “within that span” feel, and is also very common for general statements. In everyday use, both are widely heard; the choice can be stylistic and context-based.

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What is þannig að doing here?

Þannig að functions like a conjunction meaning so / so that / therefore. In this sentence it links a cause to a result:

• “It updates automatically at night, so I don’t need to open it.”

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Why is there a comma before þannig að?

Icelandic often uses a comma to separate clauses, especially when introducing a result clause with something like þannig að. The comma here clearly marks the boundary between: 1) the first clause (Forritið uppfærist...) and
2) the consequence (þannig að ég þarf ekki...).

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Why is the negation ekki placed after þarf: ég þarf ekki að...?

In Icelandic, ekki usually comes after the finite verb in main clauses. Here the finite verb is þarf (“need”).
So: Ég þarf ekki að opna það = “I don’t need to open it.”

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What is the grammar of að opna after þarf?

Þurfa is commonly followed by að + infinitive to express needing to do something:

• að opna = “to open”
  So þarf að opna = “need to open.”
  This is a very common pattern: þarf að + verb.

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Why does it end with það (“it”)? What does it refer to?

Það is a pronoun meaning it, and here it refers back to forritið (“the program”). Icelandic often repeats an object pronoun like this when needed for clarity:

• ...að opna það = “...to open it.”

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How do I pronounce the special letters in this sentence (like þ and ð)?

• þ (as in þannig) is like English th in thin (voiceless).
• ð (as in Forritið) is like English th in this (voiced), though it can be softer or even disappear in some positions.
  Also note Icelandic stress is usually on the first syllable: FOR-rit-ið, UPP-fær-ist, SJÁLF-krafa.