Mín skoðun er að við eigum að byrja fyrr.

Because skoðun is a feminine singular noun, and the possessive my has to agree with it in gender, number, and case.

The nominative singular forms are:

• minn for masculine nouns
• mín for feminine nouns
• mitt for neuter nouns

So:

• mín skoðun = my opinion
• skoðun is feminine, so mín is the correct form.

It is in the nominative case.

That is because mín skoðun is the subject of the sentence:

• Mín skoðun = the thing being talked about
• er = is

So the structure is basically:

• My opinion
  • is
    • that...

Subjects are normally in the nominative in Icelandic.

Icelandic often does not use a separate word for the the way English does, and when you have a possessive like mín (my), you usually do not need any article anyway.

So:

• mín skoðun = my opinion

Not something like the my opinion.

That is the same idea as in English: once you say my, you do not also say the.

Here að means that and introduces a subordinate clause.

So:

• Mín skoðun er að...
• My opinion is that...

This is a very common use of að in Icelandic.

Be aware that að can also have other jobs, for example:

• as the infinitive marker, like to in English
• as a conjunction meaning that

In this sentence, the first að is the conjunction that.

Because they do two different things:

1. er að
   Here að introduces the clause that we should start earlier

2. eigum að byrja
   Here að is part of the pattern eiga að + infinitive, which means should / ought to

So even though both words are að, they are not doing the same grammatical job.

Not really. The verb is eiga, which often does mean to own or to have, but in the expression eiga að + infinitive, it means something like:

• should
• ought to
• be supposed to

So:

• við eigum að byrja means
• we should start or
• we ought to start

This is a very common Icelandic construction.

Because the subject is við (we), and eigum is the 1st person plural present tense form of eiga.

Present tense of eiga:

• ég á = I have / I should
• þú átt
• hann/hún/það á
• við eigum
• þið eigið
• þeir/þær/þau eiga

So við eigum að byrja = we should start.

Because this is a subordinate clause introduced by að.

In Icelandic main clauses, the finite verb is often in the second position. But in subordinate clauses introduced by words like að, word order is commonly more straightforward:

• að við eigum að byrja fyrr

So the subject við comes before the finite verb eigum.

That is one reason Icelandic word order can feel different from English at first: main clauses and subordinate clauses often behave differently.

Because after eigum að, the next verb stays in the infinitive.

So the pattern is:

• eiga að + infinitive

Examples:

• við eigum að byrja = we should start
• þú átt að lesa = you should read
• hann á að koma = he should come

So byrja is correct because it is the infinitive to start.

Fyrr means earlier or sooner.

In this sentence it modifies byrja:

• byrja fyrr = start earlier

It is the comparative form related to snemma (early).

A useful comparison:

• snemma = early
• fyrr = earlier

So the sentence is expressing that the starting time should be moved to an earlier point.

Because the sentence is comparing the starting time to some other possible or expected time.

• snemma = early
• fyrr = earlier

So:

• að byrja snemma = to start early
• að byrja fyrr = to start earlier

In this sentence, the speaker is not just saying starting early is good. They are saying we should start earlier than we do now / earlier than planned.

Yes. Skoðun mín is also correct.

Both are possible:

• mín skoðun
• skoðun mín

Very roughly:

• mín skoðun can feel a bit more directly like my opinion
• skoðun mín can feel slightly more like the opinion of mine / my opinion with the noun presented first

In many contexts, the difference is small, and both are natural Icelandic.

It is fairly natural and neutral, but a little more explicit and structured than everyday speech.

Mín skoðun er að... means:

• My opinion is that...

It sounds thoughtful and clear. In more casual speech, people might also say things like:

• Mér finnst að... = I think that... / I feel that...
• Mér finnst við eiga að byrja fyrr.

So the sentence is not overly formal, but it is a bit more deliberate than the most conversational option.

Both can be used, but they are not exactly identical.

• við eigum að byrja fyrr = we should / are supposed to start earlier
• við ættum að byrja fyrr = we ought to / should start earlier

Very roughly:

• eiga að can sound a bit more like obligation, expectation, or what is proper
• ættu að / ættum að often sounds a bit more like advice or recommendation

In many situations they overlap, but the sentence you were given uses eiga að, which is very common.

A rough guide:

• Mín ≈ meen
• skoðun ≈ SKO-thun or SKO-thin
  The ð is like the th in this
• er ≈ ehr
• að ≈ ath
  again with voiced th
• við ≈ vith
• eigum ≈ AY-yum
• að byrja ≈ ath BIR-ya
• fyrr ≈ something like firr, but with a short Icelandic vowel and rolled/r-like ending depending on speaker

A more connected rough pronunciation:

• meen SKO-thun er ath vith AY-yum ath BIR-ya firr

This is only approximate, but it can help you get started.