Þessi orðflokkur er nýr fyrir mig, svo ég skrifa dæmi í glósubókina.

Because þessi has to agree with the noun it modifies.

• orðflokkur is masculine, singular, nominative
• so the correct demonstrative form is þessi

A useful comparison:

• þessi orðflokkur = this word class
• þetta orð = this word

So even though orð by itself is neuter, the full noun here is orðflokkur, and that noun is masculine.

It is a compound noun:

• orð = word
• flokkur = class, category, group

So orðflokkur literally means word class, which is why it is used for part of speech or a grammatical category.

Compound words are extremely common in Icelandic, so getting used to spotting the parts is very helpful.

Because Icelandic adjectives agree with the noun they describe.

Here, nýr refers back to orðflokkur, which is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective must also be masculine singular nominative:

• masculine: nýr
• feminine: ný
• neuter: nýtt

Examples:

• orðflokkur er nýr
• bók er ný
• orð er nýtt

Because ég is the subject form of I, while after a preposition Icelandic uses an object case form.

So:

• ég = I
• mig = me

Since fyrir is a preposition, you cannot say fyrir ég.

This is similar to English:

• correct: for me
• not correct: for I

In this sentence, fyrir mig gives the sense of to me / for me.

Here svo means so in the sense of therefore / as a result.

So the structure is:

• this word class is new to me,
• so I write examples in the notebook.

Be aware that svo can mean different things in other contexts, such as then, thus, or even function in intensifying expressions. But in this sentence, it is simply connecting cause and result.

Because svo here introduces the next clause in a way similar to English so, and the clause keeps normal subject-verb order:

• ég skrifa = I write

So:

• ..., svo ég skrifa ...

If you used a different connector such as þess vegna = for that reason / therefore, then inversion would normally happen:

• Þess vegna skrifa ég dæmi ...

That is a very common Icelandic pattern.

skrifa is the present indicative form used here with ég:

• ég skrifa = I write

This is the ordinary statement form.

skrifi is a different form, typically the subjunctive, which is used in other kinds of sentences, not in a straightforward factual statement like this one.

So here Icelandic is simply using the normal present tense:

• ég skrifa

In this sentence, it is most naturally understood as plural: examples.

The tricky part is that dæmi is one of those Icelandic neuter nouns whose nominative/accusative singular and plural look the same.

So:

• dæmi can mean example
• dæmi can also mean examples

You usually tell from context.

For example:

• ég skrifa dæmi = I write examples
• ég skrifa eitt dæmi = I write one example
• ég skrifa mörg dæmi = I write many examples

Because the preposition í can take different cases depending on the meaning.

A very common rule is:

• accusative = movement/direction, roughly into
• dative = location, roughly in

Here the idea is that the examples are being written into the notebook, so Icelandic uses the accusative:

• í glósubókina

Compare:

• Ég skrifa dæmi í glósubókina. = I write examples into the notebook.
• Dæmin eru í glósubókinni. = The examples are in the notebook.

It shows that the noun is definite and accusative singular.

Base noun:

• glósubók = notebook / note-book

Definite forms:

• glósubókin = the notebook
• glósubókina = the notebook, in the accusative case

Unlike English, Icelandic usually adds the as an ending on the noun instead of using a separate word.

So glósubókina is not just notebook; it is specifically the notebook.

Þ / þ is pronounced like the th in thin, not like the th in this.

So Þessi starts with that voiceless th sound.

A rough English-style guide would be:

• Þessi ≈ THESS-ih

The stress is on the first syllable, as is normal in Icelandic.

Because the sentence contains two full clauses:

• Þessi orðflokkur er nýr fyrir mig
• svo ég skrifa dæmi í glósubókina

In Icelandic, it is common to separate full clauses with a comma, especially when they are linked by a conjunction like svo.

So the comma helps show the structure of the sentence clearly.