Breakdown of Í tollinum spurði starfsmaðurinn hvaðan við værum að koma.
Questions & Answers about Í tollinum spurði starfsmaðurinn hvaðan við værum að koma.
This is a very common Icelandic word-order pattern.
Icelandic is a V2 language in main clauses, which means the finite verb usually comes in second position. If you put a time/place expression first, the verb still has to stay second.
So:
- Í tollinum spurði starfsmaðurinn ... = At customs, the employee asked ...
Here the first slot is Í tollinum, so the verb spurði comes next, and the subject starfsmaðurinn comes after it.
A more neutral order is also possible:
- Starfsmaðurinn spurði í tollinum ...
But the original sentence emphasizes the setting: at customs.