Þessi trefill passar líka við kjólinn minn.

Þessi means this, but its form changes to match the noun’s gender, number, and case.

Here, trefill (scarf) is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative (the subject of the sentence)

So the correct form is þessi trefill = this scarf.

Very roughly:

• þessi = this (masculine/feminine in some forms, including masculine nominative singular)
• þetta = this (neuter nominative/accusative singular)

So you use þessi because trefill is a masculine noun.

In this sentence, passa við means to go well with, to match, or to suit.

So Þessi trefill passar líka við kjólinn minn means something like:

• This scarf also goes with my dress
• This scarf also matches my dress

The verb passa can have several meanings depending on context, including:

• fit physically
• suit
• match
• be careful / watch out in some expressions

Here, because it is followed by við + a noun, it means match/go with.

The preposition við is part of the expression passa við, which means match or go with.

So you should think of it as a set phrase:

• passa við eitthvað = to go with something

Even though English often just says match without a preposition, Icelandic commonly uses við in this expression.

Kjólinn means the dress. The ending -inn is the definite article, which is attached to the noun.

So:

• kjóll = dress
• kjólinn = the dress

Icelandic usually adds the to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English does.

In this sentence:

• við kjólinn minn = with my dress

Even though English does not say the in my dress, Icelandic often uses the definite form together with a possessive:

• kjólinn minn = literally the dress my, but naturally my dress

In Icelandic, possessives are very often placed after the noun, especially when the noun is definite.

So:

• kjólinn minn = my dress

This is a very normal Icelandic pattern:

• bíllinn minn = my car
• húsið mitt = my house
• vinur minn = my friend

A form like minn kjóll is possible in some contexts, but it usually feels more marked, contrastive, or stylistically different. For a simple everyday sentence, kjólinn minn is the most natural choice.

Minn agrees with kjólinn in gender, number, and case.

Kjóll is:

• masculine
• singular

And after við in this expression, it is in the accusative:

• við kjólinn minn

So the possessive must also be masculine singular accusative, which is minn.

This happens because Icelandic possessives change form depending on the noun they belong to.

Compare:

• bíllinn minn = my car (masculine)
• taskan mín = my bag (feminine)
• húsið mitt = my house (neuter)

It is in the accusative.

That is because við, in the expression passa við, takes the accusative object:

• passa við kjólinn minn

So even if you do not yet know all the case system details, it is useful to learn this as a pattern:

• passa við + accusative

In this sentence:

• kjóll becomes kjólinn in the accusative definite singular
• minn matches that noun phrase

Because þessi already makes the noun definite enough: this scarf.

So:

• trefill = a scarf / scarf
• þessi trefill = this scarf

You normally do not add the definite article when you already have this:

• þessi trefill = correct
• þessi trefillinn = not correct

This is similar to English, where we say this scarf, not this the scarf.

Líka means also. Its placement is natural in Icelandic after the finite verb in a simple sentence like this:

• Þessi trefill passar líka við kjólinn minn.

This is a very common word order.

English can move also around a bit:

• This scarf also goes with my dress
• This scarf goes with my dress too

Icelandic often places líka in a spot like this, after the verb:

• passar líka

That said, word order can change for emphasis, but the sentence as given is neutral and natural.

Grammatically, passar can mean either fits or matches, depending on context. But in this sentence, because of við and the clothing context, the meaning is clearly matches / goes with.

Compare:

• Kjóllinn passar mér. = The dress fits me.
• Kjóllinn passar við skóna. = The dress goes with the shoes.

So:

• passa + person/object can be about physical fit
• passa við + something is often about matching or going well with something

A rough learner-friendly guide would be:

THESS-ih TREV-itl PAH-sar LEE-ka vith CHYO-lin min

A few important points:

• Þ / þ is like th in thing

  • Þessi starts with that sound.

• ss in þessi is just s

• ll in Icelandic is not always pronounced like English l, but in kjólinn the ending is often heard roughly like -lin for a beginner’s purposes.

• kj in kjólinn is a palatal sound, somewhat like ky or chy depending on accent and how detailed you want to be.

• í in líka is a long ee sound.

• ð in við is like a soft th in this, though at the end of a word it can be quite weak in actual speech.

A more realistic beginner goal is simply to pronounce it clearly enough rather than perfectly:

• Þessi trefill passar líka við kjólinn minn

Yes. In Icelandic, grammatical gender does not always match natural gender or what an English speaker might expect.

So:

• kjóll = dress
• grammatical gender: masculine

That is why you get masculine forms like:

• kjólinn
• minn

This is very normal in Icelandic. You have to learn a noun’s grammatical gender as part of the word itself.

You can do it roughly, but the natural English translation should sound smoother.

Word-for-word:

• Þessi = this
• trefill = scarf
• passar = fits / matches
• líka = also
• við = with
• kjólinn minn = my dress

So a very literal version is:

• This scarf matches also with my dress

But natural English would be:

• This scarf also goes with my dress
• This scarf also matches my dress

So word-for-word translation helps you see the structure, but it will not always give the most natural English sentence.