Kennarinn útskýrir nýtt orðasamband á töflunni með hvítri krít.

In Icelandic, the definite article the is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.

• kennari = teacher
• kennarinn = the teacher

So -inn here is the masculine singular definite article.

This is very common in Icelandic:

• maður = man
• maðurinn = the man

Útskýrir is the present tense, 3rd person singular form of útskýra (to explain).

The subject is Kennarinn (the teacher), which is third person singular, so the verb must match that:

• ég útskýri = I explain
• þú útskýrir = you explain
• hann/hún/það útskýrir = he/she/it explains

So Kennarinn útskýrir means the teacher explains.

Because orðasamband is a neuter noun, and the adjective has to agree with it in gender, number, and case.

Here:

• orðasamband is neuter singular
• it is the direct object of the verb, so it is in the accusative
• neuter singular nominative/accusative of nýr is nýtt

So:

• nýr = masculine
• ný = feminine
• nýtt = neuter

That is why you get nýtt orðasamband.

Yes. Orðasamband is the direct object of útskýrir, so it is in the accusative.

However, many neuter nouns in Icelandic have the same form in the nominative and accusative singular, so you do not see a change in the noun itself.

What shows the case more clearly here is the adjective:

• nominative/accusative neuter singular: nýtt

So nýtt orðasamband is accusative singular, even though orðasamband itself does not visibly change.

Yes. Orðasamband is a compound noun, which is very common in Icelandic.

It is made from:

• orð = word
• samband = connection, relation, combination

So literally it is something like word-connection, and in actual use it means a phrase or expression.

Icelandic uses compounds very freely, so learners often need to get used to long words being built from smaller familiar parts.

Because á can take different cases depending on meaning, and here it expresses location: on the board.

When á means on/in/at in a static location, it usually takes the dative:

• á töflunni = on the board

The noun is:

• tafla = board
• töflunni = the board, dative singular definite

So the sentence is talking about where the explanation is written or happening: on the board, not motion toward it.

No. This is a very important Icelandic pattern.

Many prepositions, including á, change case depending on whether the meaning is:

• location → usually dative
• motion toward a place → usually accusative

Examples:

• á töflunni = on the board (location, dative)
• á töfluna = onto the board (movement toward, accusative)

So in your sentence, á töflunni is dative because the board is the location.

Because the preposition með normally takes the dative, and the adjective must agree with the noun.

Here:

• með = with
• krít = chalk
• hvítri = white, dative feminine singular

So:

• hvít krít = white chalk (nominative)
• með hvítri krít = with white chalk (dative)

That is why the adjective changes to hvítri.

Because some Icelandic nouns do not change form in every case, or they may have forms that happen to look identical.

With krít, the important visible change here is in the adjective:

• hvít krít = white chalk
• hvítri krít = with white chalk

So even if the noun itself does not clearly show the case change, the adjective does. This is very common in Icelandic noun phrases.

Because Icelandic does not have an indefinite article like English a/an.

So:

• nýtt orðasamband can mean a new phrase/expression
• there is no separate word for a

Icelandic usually leaves indefiniteness unmarked, while definiteness is often shown by the attached article:

• orðasamband = a phrase / phrase
• orðasambandið = the phrase

Yes, Icelandic word order is somewhat flexible, but this sentence uses a very normal, straightforward pattern:

• subject: Kennarinn
• verb: útskýrir
• object: nýtt orðasamband
• prepositional phrases: á töflunni, með hvítri krít

So the structure is basically SVO, which is familiar to English speakers.

Other orders are possible in Icelandic for emphasis or style, but this version is natural and neutral. For example, Icelandic often moves elements to the front for focus, but the finite verb usually stays in the second position.

In Icelandic, accent marks are not just optional stress marks. They usually show a different vowel sound.

For example:

• u and ú are different vowels
• y and ý are different vowels

So you should learn accented vowels as separate letters/sounds, not as the same vowel with extra emphasis.

Also, Icelandic stress is usually on the first syllable of the word, regardless of the accent mark. The accents mainly help with pronunciation and spelling, not sentence stress.