Fríið byrjar á morgun.

The vacation starts tomorrow.

Breakdown of Fríið byrjar á morgun.

• á morgun: tomorrow
• byrja: to start
• fríið: the time off

Questions & Answers about Fríið byrjar á morgun.

Why does fríið end in -ið?

Because Icelandic usually puts the definite article on the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

• frí = holiday, vacation, break, time off
• fríið = the holiday / the vacation / the break

So -ið here is the neuter singular definite ending. A learner can think of fríið as frí + the.

What exactly does frí mean here?

Frí is a very common Icelandic word for time off. Depending on context, it can mean:

• a vacation
• a holiday
• a break
• time off from work or school

So in Fríið byrjar á morgun, the exact English translation could vary a little depending on context, but the grammar stays the same.

Why is the verb byrjar and not byrja?

Byrja is the infinitive, meaning to begin or to start.
In the sentence, the verb has to match the subject and be in a finite form:

• byrja = to begin
• byrjar = begins / starts

Here the subject is fríið (the vacation / the break), which is third person singular, so Icelandic uses .