Getið þér sagt mér hvar salernið er?

Getið þér means can you in a formal or very polite style.

Icelandic yes/no questions often put the finite verb first, then the subject. So:

• Þér getið = you can
• Getið þér? = can you?

That is why the sentence starts with Getið.

Þér is a formal/polite way of saying you. It is much more formal than þú.

A native English speaker should know that in modern everyday Icelandic, people usually just say þú, even to strangers. So þér is grammatical, but it can sound:

• very formal
• old-fashioned
• bookish

A more everyday version would usually be:

• Geturðu sagt mér hvar salernið er?

Because getið matches the formal pronoun þér in this construction.

Compare:

• þú getur = you can (normal singular you)
• þér getið = you can (formal you)

So the sentence uses the verb form that goes with formal þér.

Mér means to me.

It is the dative form of ég. The verb segja often works like tell someone something, and the someone is put in the dative:

• segja mér = tell me
• segja honum = tell him
• segja henni = tell her

So sagt mér means tell me.

Salernið is:

• salerni = toilet / restroom / lavatory
• -ið = the

So salernið literally means the toilet or the restroom.

This is a very common Icelandic pattern: the definite article is usually added as an ending, not written as a separate word.

Because this is an embedded question: where the toilet is, not a stand-alone question.

In a direct question, you would say:

• Hvar er salernið? = Where is the toilet?

But after sagt mér (tell me), Icelandic changes the word order:

• hvar salernið er = where the toilet is

So this is similar to English:

• direct: Where is the toilet?
• embedded: Can you tell me where the toilet is?

It is a correct and useful word, but it is somewhat formal.

Depending on the situation, you may also hear:

• klósett = toilet
• baðherbergi = bathroom

So salerni is perfectly fine, especially on signs or in careful speech, but in everyday conversation many people would say klósett.

Yes, it is grammatical and understandable, but it sounds very polite and rather formal.

In everyday modern Icelandic, people are more likely to say something like:

• Geturðu sagt mér hvar klósettið er?
• Afsakið, hvar er salernið?
• Hvar er klósettið?

So the sentence you were given is good to understand, but it is not the most casual everyday version.

Yes. If you say:

• Getið þér sagt hvar salernið er?

that still makes sense: Can you say/tell where the toilet is?

But mér makes it sound more natural and complete, because you are specifically asking the person to tell me.

So mér is not the main meaning of the sentence, but it is a very natural part of the request.

A few useful ones:

• þ is pronounced like th in thin
• hvar is often pronounced close to kvar
• stress in Icelandic usually falls on the first syllable
• the final -ið in salernið is the definite ending the

So the trickiest parts for English speakers are usually:

• þér
• hvar
• salernið

You do not need perfect pronunciation to be understood, but getting þ right is especially helpful.