Ég lít á kortið áður en ég fer.

Here líta á means to look at.

A very important point is that líta by itself and líta á are not exactly the same thing. In this sentence, you should learn líta á as a unit:

• líta á eitthvað = look at something

So:

• Ég lít á kortið = I look at the map

This is similar to how English often uses verb + preposition combinations.

Because the Icelandic expression is líta á.

English says look at, and Icelandic also needs a preposition here:

• líta á kortið = look at the map

So the á is not optional in this meaning. It belongs with the verb expression.

Lít is the 1st person singular present tense of líta.

That means:

• ég lít = I look
• þú lítur = you look
• hann/hún/það lítur = he/she/it looks

So Ég lít á kortið literally means I look at the map.

Kortið means the map / the card, while kort means a map / a card or just map/card in a more general sense.

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

So:

• kort = map / card
• kortið = the map / the card

In this sentence, the learner is being shown a specific map, so kortið is used.

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

Here, kort is a neuter noun, and kortið is the definite singular form.

So:

• kort = map
• kortið = the map

This is one of the most noticeable differences from English: Icelandic often puts the at the end of the noun.

Here kortið is in the accusative singular.

That is because líta á takes an object in that case. With this noun, the nominative and accusative forms happen to look the same:

• kortið = nominative singular definite
• kortið = accusative singular definite

So even though the form does not change visibly, grammatically it is functioning as an accusative object here.

Áður en means before when it introduces a clause.

So:

• áður en ég fer = before I go

It is used when what follows has its own subject and verb.

Compare the structure:

• Ég borða áður en ég fer. = I eat before I go.

So in your sentence, áður en connects the two actions:

1. looking at the map
2. going

Because áður en ég fer is a full clause: before I go.

In Icelandic, just like in English, a full clause normally needs its own subject and verb. So you must say:

• áður en ég fer = before I go

not just something like áður en fer.

The second ég belongs to the second clause.

Because áður en ég fer is a full subordinate clause, not an infinitive phrase.

• fer = go / am going (1st person singular present of fara)
• fara = to go (infinitive)

So the sentence literally has two finite verbs:

• Ég lít = I look
• ég fer = I go

That matches English quite closely:

• I look at the map before I go

Grammatically, fer is present tense, but in context it often refers to the future.

That is very normal in Icelandic, just as it is in English:

• áður en ég fer = literally before I go
• in meaning: before I leave / before I’m going to go

So Icelandic often uses the present tense for planned or near-future actions.

It has two clauses:

1. Ég lít á kortið
   = I look at the map

2. áður en ég fer
   = before I go

So the full structure is:

• main clause
  • subordinate clause

More literally:

• I look at the map before I go

This is a very natural and common Icelandic sentence pattern.

Yes, you could, but the nuance is a little different.

• líta á kortið = look at the map
• skoða kortið = examine / study / inspect the map

So líta á can feel a bit lighter or more like simply directing your eyes to it, while skoða can suggest looking more carefully.

Both can be correct depending on what you want to express.

The word order is very normal.

In the main clause:

• Ég lít á kortið

the subject comes first, then the verb, which is standard.

In the subordinate clause:

• áður en ég fer

you again have subject + verb.

So nothing unusual is happening here. It is a good basic example of Icelandic clause structure.

A very literal breakdown would be:

• Ég = I
• lít á = look at
• kortið = the map
• áður en = before
• ég fer = I go

So, word for word:

• I look at the map before I go

That is also a natural English translation, so this sentence is nicely close to English in structure.