Við fengum annað tækifæri til að sækja um námskeiðið, svo hún ákvað að senda umsóknina.

Because fá (to get / receive) is an irregular verb.

Its past tense is:

• ég fékk
• þú fékkst
• hann/hún fékk
• við fengum
• þið fenguð
• þeir/þær/þau fengu

So Við fengum means we got.

This is just something you have to learn as part of the verb’s irregular past-tense pattern.

Because tækifæri is a neuter noun, and here it is the direct object of fá / fengum, so it appears in the accusative singular.

• annar = another (masculine)
• önnur = another (feminine)
• annað = another (neuter)

Since tækifæri is neuter, the adjective must match it:

• annað tækifæri = another opportunity / a second chance

Also, tækifæri has the same form in nominative and accusative singular, so the noun itself does not visibly change here, but the adjective shows the gender clearly.

Tækifæri usually means opportunity, chance, or occasion, depending on context.

In this sentence, annað tækifæri is best understood as:

• another chance
• or a second opportunity

So it refers to being given another possibility to do something.

Til að means to or in order to before an infinitive.

In this sentence:

• annað tækifæri til að sækja um námskeiðið
• another chance to apply for the course

So til að + infinitive is a common way to express purpose or the action connected with a noun.

Compare:

• Ég kom til að hjálpa. = I came to help.
• Tími til að fara. = Time to go.

Because sækja um is a fixed verb phrase meaning to apply for.

So:

• sækja by itself can mean things like seek, attend, fetch, or visit, depending on context.
• sækja um specifically means apply for.

That little word um is essential here.

Examples:

• sækja um starf = apply for a job
• sækja um skóla = apply for a school
• sækja um námskeiðið = apply for the course

So learners should treat sækja um as one vocabulary item.

Here námskeiðið is the object of sækja um, so it is in the accusative.

However, because námskeið is a neuter noun, the nominative and accusative singular look the same:

• námskeiðið = nominative singular definite
• námskeiðið = accusative singular definite

So the form does not change visibly, even though the grammatical case is accusative in this sentence.

The ending -ið is the definite article attached to the noun.

So:

• námskeið = course
• námskeiðið = the course

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

The same thing happens in:

• umsókn = application
• umsóknina = the application

Because the verb ákveða means to decide, and it is commonly followed by að + infinitive.

So:

• ákvað að senda = decided to send

This is very similar to English structure:

• she decided to send

Examples:

• Ég ákvað að fara. = I decided to go.
• Þau ákváðu að bíða. = They decided to wait.

Because the two instances of að do different jobs in different phrases:

1. til að sækja um

   • here að is part of the expression til að, meaning to / in order to

2. ákvað að senda

   • here að introduces the infinitive after ákveða, meaning to send

So even though both are written að, they are part of different grammatical structures.

Because umsóknina means the application, and it is the direct object of senda (to send), so it appears in the accusative singular.

The noun is umsókn, which is feminine:

• umsókn = application
• umsóknin = the application (nominative)
• umsóknina = the application (accusative)

Since it is the thing being sent, accusative is used:

• senda umsóknina = send the application

Here svo means so in the sense of therefore / and so.

It links the two parts of the sentence:

• We got another chance to apply for the course, so she decided to send the application.

Depending on context, svo can also mean other things, such as then, as, or such, but in this sentence the meaning is clearly so.

Because svo here is functioning like a coordinating conjunction, similar to English so.

After that, Icelandic continues with a normal main clause:

• hún ákvað að senda umsóknina

So:

• ..., svo hún ákvað ...

This is natural and straightforward.

A learner may expect lots of inversion in Icelandic because of verb-second patterns, and those do matter, but after a conjunction like this, the clause here appears in ordinary main-clause order.

Because the first clause and the second clause have different subjects:

• Við fengum annað tækifæri ...

  • We got another chance ...

• svo hún ákvað að senda umsóknina

  • so she decided to send the application

This means the opportunity belonged to us, but the person who made the decision to send the application was specifically her.

That shift is completely normal. Icelandic, like English, can change subjects from one clause to the next.

Yes, very often.

Literally:

• senda = send

But in context, especially with applications, English may naturally use:

• send the application
• submit the application

So the Icelandic is literal, but the best English translation may vary depending on style and context.

Not in this sentence.

On its own, um often means about or around, but in sækja um, it is part of the verb phrase apply for.

So here:

• sækja um námskeiðið does not mean seek about the course
• it means apply for the course

This is a good reminder that prepositions in Icelandic often form fixed expressions with verbs, and you cannot always translate them word-for-word.

The main dictionary forms are:

• fá = to get, receive
• sækja um = to apply for
• ákveða = to decide
• senda = to send

The forms in the sentence are:

• fengum = past tense of fá
• sækja = infinitive
• ákvað = past tense of ákveða
• senda = infinitive

So this sentence is useful because it shows both finite past-tense verbs and infinitives together.

It has two main parts joined by svo:

1. Við fengum annað tækifæri til að sækja um námskeiðið

   • main clause: Við fengum annað tækifæri
   • infinitive phrase: til að sækja um námskeiðið

2. svo hún ákvað að senda umsóknina

   • main clause: hún ákvað
   • infinitive phrase: að senda umsóknina

So a simple way to see it is:

• [We got another chance] [to apply for the course], so [she decided] [to send the application].

This makes it easier to understand how the sentence is built.