Læknirinn skoðar tunguna mína.

In Icelandic, the definite article the is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of written as a separate word.

So:

• læknir = doctor
• læknirinn = the doctor

Here, -inn is the masculine singular definite ending in the nominative.

Because tungan is the object of the verb, and Icelandic marks that with case.

The noun tunga is feminine. Its basic form is:

• tunga = nominative singular

But after a verb like skoða, the direct object normally goes in the accusative:

• tungu = accusative singular

Then the definite article is added:

• tunguna = the tongue in the accusative singular

So tunguna is not just a random change; it shows both:

• accusative case
• definite meaning (the tongue)

That is very normal in Icelandic. Possessives often come after the noun:

• tunguna mína = my tongue
• literally, something like the tongue my

English usually puts possessives before the noun, but Icelandic often places them after it, especially in everyday expressions like this one.

Because Icelandic possessives must agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

The noun here is tunguna, which is:

• feminine
• singular
• accusative

So the possessive must match that, giving:

• mína

This comes from the possessive minn = my

Some related forms are:

• minn = masculine nominative singular
• mín = feminine nominative singular
• mína = feminine accusative singular

Skoðar is the present tense, 3rd person singular form of the verb skoða.

So:

• að skoða = to examine / to look at / to inspect
• ég skoða = I examine
• þú skoðar = you examine
• hann/hún/það skoðar = he/she/it examines

Since læknirinn is a singular third-person subject, skoðar is the correct form.

Yes. This sentence has a very straightforward subject–verb–object order:

• Læknirinn = subject
• skoðar = verb
• tunguna mína = object

So it lines up nicely with basic English word order.

However, Icelandic also follows a verb-second pattern in main clauses. That means if you move something else to the front, the verb still usually stays in second position. For example:

• Núna skoðar læknirinn tunguna mína. = Now the doctor examines my tongue.

So this sentence is both natural and grammatically simple.

Yes, word-for-word it can feel like the tongue my, and that is completely normal in Icelandic.

Icelandic often uses:

• definite noun + possessive

especially with body parts, family relations, and many everyday expressions.

So tunguna mína is the ordinary way to say my tongue here. It does not sound redundant to an Icelandic speaker.

The dictionary forms are:

• læknirinn → læknir = doctor
• skoðar → skoða = to examine / inspect
• tunguna → tunga = tongue
• mína → minn = my

This is useful because Icelandic words often appear in changed forms depending on case, number, gender, tense, and definiteness.

Not for the same meaning.

That version removes the definite article from læknirinn and tunguna, so it would sound more like:

• A doctor examines my tongue
• or something less natural depending on context

In this sentence, læknirinn skoðar tunguna mína is the normal way to say the doctor examines my tongue.

Also, with body parts, Icelandic very often prefers the structure with the definite noun plus possessive:

• tunguna mína rather than
• tungu mína

A few sounds may stand out to English speakers:

• æ in læknirinn is pronounced roughly like eye in many modern pronunciations
• ð in skoðar is like the th in this
• ll, nn, and other doubled consonants in Icelandic can affect pronunciation, though spelling does not always map neatly to English expectations

A rough approximation might be:

• LÆK-ni-rinn SKOH-thar TUNG-una MEE-na

That is only approximate, but it can help as a starting point.