Við höfum nægan tíma til að lesa.

Here Við means we. It is the subject of the sentence.

The same spelling við can also be a preposition in other contexts, with meanings like against, with, or by, but not here. In this sentence, the structure Við höfum clearly means we have.

It is capitalized only because it comes at the beginning of the sentence.

Höfum is the 1st person plural present tense form of the verb að hafa = to have.

Because the subject is við = we, the verb has to match that subject:

• ég hef = I have
• þú hefur = you have
• hann/hún/það hefur = he/she/it has
• við höfum = we have
• þið hafið = you all have
• þeir/þær/þau hafa = they have

So Við höfum is the correct combination for we have.

Because tíma is the accusative singular form of tími.

The verb að hafa usually takes a direct object in the accusative case, and here time is the thing being had. So:

• tími = nominative singular
• tíma = accusative singular

That is why Icelandic says höfum tíma, not höfum tími.

Because nægan has to agree with tíma in gender, number, and case.

The noun tími is:

• masculine
• singular
• accusative here

So the adjective nægur = enough / sufficient changes form to match it:

• nægur tími = enough time, as a subject
• nægan tíma = enough time, as an object

So nægan is the correct form because it matches tíma.

The dictionary form is nægur.

When you look up Icelandic adjectives, you normally find them in the masculine nominative singular form. So even though the sentence has nægan, you would look for nægur in a dictionary or word list.

Til að lesa means to read or more literally in order to read.

It tells you what the time is for. So tími til að lesa is time to read.

This is a very common Icelandic pattern:

• til að + infinitive

It often expresses purpose or intended use.

Because when Icelandic uses til before a verb, it normally uses the pattern til að + infinitive.

So:

• til að lesa = to read
• til að skrifa = to write
• til að sofa = to sleep

You normally cannot leave out að here.

This is different from some other verb combinations where Icelandic may use a bare infinitive, such as after certain modal verbs.

Yes. When til is followed by a noun, that noun is usually in the genitive:

• til Íslands = to Iceland
• til mín = to me / for me

But in til að lesa, til is not followed by a noun. It is followed by an infinitive phrase. Since lesa is a verb in the infinitive, ordinary noun case rules do not apply in the same way.

So:

• til + genitive noun
• til að + infinitive verb

Both patterns are normal, but they are used in different situations.

No, that would not be the normal standard structure here.

The idiomatic pattern is:

• tími til að lesa

not:

• tími að lesa

So if you want to say time to read, Icelandic normally uses til að before the infinitive.

Yes. Við höfum tíma til að lesa is a perfectly natural sentence.

The difference is:

• Við höfum tíma til að lesa = We have time to read.
• Við höfum nægan tíma til að lesa = We have enough time to read.

So nægan adds the idea of enough / sufficient time, not just some time.

Because lesa is an infinitive here.

Only the finite verb in the sentence, höfum, changes to match the subject. The infinitive lesa stays in its basic verb form.

So the structure is:

• Við = subject
• höfum = finite verb
• nægan tíma = object
• til að lesa = infinitive phrase expressing purpose

That is why lesa does not change for person or number.