Geturðu skrúfað fyrir kranann á meðan ég sæki tusku?

Because this is a yes/no question. In Icelandic, the finite verb usually comes first in that kind of question.

So:

• Þú getur ... = You can ...
• Geturðu ...? = Can you ...?

Also, Geturðu is a very common contracted form of getur þú. The pronoun þú gets attached to the verb in everyday language.

After geta meaning can / be able to, Icelandic normally uses the verb form often called the supine (sagnbót), not the dictionary form with að.

So you get patterns like:

• geta skrúfað
• geta lesið
• geta farið

So skrúfað here is not past tense. It is just the form that naturally follows getur in this construction.

skrúfa fyrir is a fixed expression meaning turn off, shut off, or more literally screw shut, especially for things like water or gas.

So it is best to learn skrúfa fyrir as a unit.

The word fyrir here is not being used in its basic literal sense of for. It is part of the verbal expression.

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

With krani:

• krani = tap / faucet
• kraninn = the tap (nominative)
• kranann = the tap (accusative)

So the -ann ending is doing the job that English does with the, plus showing case.

Because kranann is the direct object of the verb phrase.

Icelandic marks that with case. Here the noun is masculine singular accusative definite, so you get kranann.

A useful comparison:

• kraninn = the tap as a subject
• kranann = the tap as an object

English does not show this difference on the noun, but Icelandic does.

Because tusku is the accusative singular form of tuska.

Here it is the object of sæki, so it appears in the accusative:

• tuska = nominative
• tusku = accusative

So this is a normal case change.

Icelandic does not have an indefinite article like English a/an.

So tusku by itself can mean a rag or a cloth, depending on context.

If you wanted the rag, you would use the definite form:

• tusku = a rag
• tuskuna = the rag

It comes from the verb sækja, which often means fetch, go get, or retrieve.

So ég sæki tusku is something like:

• I’m going to get a rag
• I’ll fetch a rag
• I’ll go get a cloth

It suggests going to get something and bringing it back.

Because Icelandic often uses the present tense for something that is about to happen or is intended as the next action.

So ég sæki tusku can naturally mean:

• I’m getting a rag
• I’ll go get a rag

This is very normal and does not sound strange in Icelandic.

á meðan means while, meanwhile, or in the meantime.

In this sentence, it means while I go get a rag.

You may also see meðan, but á meðan is very common and natural in everyday Icelandic. For a learner, it is a good expression to remember as a chunk.

Yes. It is a very normal everyday way to ask someone to do something.

So even though it literally means Can you ...?, it often functions just like a polite request in English:

• Geturðu hjálpað mér? = Can you help me?

If you want to sound a bit softer or more formal, you can use Gætirðu ...?, which is closer to Could you ...?

Because á meðan introduces a subordinate clause.

In the main question, the verb comes first:

• Geturðu ...?

But in the subordinate clause, the normal order is:

• ég sæki tusku = I fetch a rag / I’ll get a rag

So the sentence shows two different word-order patterns:

• main yes/no question: verb first
• subordinate clause: subject + verb + object

Roughly GEH-tur-thu, with the stress on the first syllable.

A few helpful points:

• þ sounds like th in thing
• ð sounds like th in this, though it can be very light in fast speech
• the r is usually tapped or trilled
• the first syllable gets the stress, as is typical in Icelandic

So if you say something close to GEH-tur-thu, you will be in the right area.