Fundur byrjar bráðum, svo við flýtum okkur.

A meeting starts soon, so we hurry.

Breakdown of Fundur byrjar bráðum, svo við flýtum okkur.

• við: we
• byrja: to start
• svo: so
• bráðum: soon
• flýta sér: to hurry
• Fundur: Meeting

Questions & Answers about Fundur byrjar bráðum, svo við flýtum okkur.

Why does Fundur appear without the (no definite article)?

Icelandic has a suffixed definite article, not a separate word like English the.

• fundur = a meeting / meeting (indefinite or generic)
• fundurinn = the meeting (definite)
  So the sentence could also be Fundurinn byrjar bráðum... if you mean a specific known meeting.

What case is Fundur, and how do I know it’s the subject?

Fundur is in the nominative case here, which is the normal case for the subject of the sentence. The basic pattern is:

• [Subject (nom.)] + [verb] + [...] So Fundur (nom.) + byrjar (verb) = The meeting begins...

Why is it byrjar and not something like byrja?

byrjar is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb að byrja (to begin/start).
Conjugation (present) looks like:

• ég byrja
• þú byrjar
• hann/hún/það byrjar
• við byrjum
• þið byrjið
• þeir/þær/þau byrja

Does byrjar mean begins or is beginning?

In Icelandic, the simple present (byrjar) can cover what English splits into begins/starts and sometimes is beginning/is starting, depending on context. For something scheduled (like a meeting), Icelandic commonly just uses the present tense: Fundur byrjar bráðum.

What does bráðum mean exactly, and where does it come from?

bráðum means soon. It’s an adverb historically related to an adjective meaning quick/rapid, but you can treat bráðum as a fixed adverb meaning soon in modern usage.
A close alternative you may also see is bráðlega = soon.

Why is the word order Fundur byrjar bráðum and not Bráðum byrjar fundur?

Both are possible, but they differ in emphasis and feel.

• Fundur byrjar bráðum is neutral: subject first.
• Bráðum byrjar fundur puts emphasis on soon (time first), and it triggers the common Icelandic pattern where the finite verb (byrjar) still stays very early in the clause.

What does svo mean here, and is it always so/therefore?

Here svo links two clauses and means so / therefore / and so:
Fundur byrjar bráðum, svo ... = The meeting starts soon, so ...
But svo is flexible in Icelandic and can also mean things like then, like this, or be part of other expressions depending on context.

Why is there a comma before svo?

Because svo is introducing a new independent clause:

• Clause 1: Fundur byrjar bráðum
• Clause 2: svo við flýtum okkur
  A comma is commonly used when connecting full clauses like this, especially when the second clause is a consequence/result.

Why does the second clause start with við right after svo?

In Icelandic, after connectors like svo, you often get normal clause order with an explicit subject:
svo við flýtum okkur = so we hurry (ourselves)/so we hurry up.
You could also see more “English-like” rephrasings, but this one is very natural Icelandic.

What is the verb in við flýtum okkur, and what does it look like in the dictionary?

The dictionary form is að flýta sér (literally to hurry oneself, idiomatically to hurry up).
In the sentence:

• flýtum = 1st person plural present (we hurry)
  So við flýtum okkur = we hurry up.

Why is it okkur and not oss or something else?

With að flýta sér, the reflexive pronoun is in the accusative for most speakers/usages:

• ég flýti mér (me)
• þú flýtir þér (you)
• við flýtum okkur (us) So okkur is the standard reflexive us form here. (oss exists as an older/poetic variant, but okkur is what you’ll normally use.)

Is við flýtum okkur a command, or just a statement?

Grammatically it’s a statement: we hurry up. But in context it can function like an implied decision/need: (so) we’d better hurry up.
If you want to be more explicitly “let’s…”, you can say:

• Svo skulum við flýta okkur. = So let’s hurry up.

How do I pronounce the tricky words bráðum and flýtum?

A practical learner guide:

• bráðum: stress on the first syllable BRÁ-ðum; á is like a long ow/au sound in many accents (not like English a).
• flýtum: stress on FLÝ-; ý is like a long front rounded vowel (similar to German ü in müde).
  Also remember Icelandic stress is almost always on the first syllable of a word.