Lestu samninginn betur áður en þú undirritar hann.

Lestu is the singular imperative of lesa (to read). It means Read!

So the sentence begins as a command:

• Lestu ... = Read ...

This is the form you use when telling one person to do something.

In Icelandic, as in English, the subject is often left out in commands.

So:

• Lestu samninginn = Read the contract
• not usually Þú lestu samninginn

The you is understood automatically. In imperatives, Icelandic normally does not need to say it.

Samninginn means the contract.

It comes from the noun:

• samningur = contract, agreement

In the sentence, it appears as samninginn because it is:

• singular
• definite (the contract)
• accusative, because it is the direct object of Lestu (read what? → the contract)

A learner often notices that samningur changes a lot:

• samningur = a contract
• samninginn = the contract (as object here)

That kind of case and article change is very normal in Icelandic.

Betur is the comparative form of vel:

• vel = well
• betur = better

Literally, Lestu samninginn betur means something like:

• Read the contract better

But in natural English, this is usually understood as:

• Read the contract more carefully
• Read the contract more thoroughly

Icelandic often uses betur in places where English would say more carefully rather than literally better.

Not necessarily.

Even though betur is a comparative form, it does not always imply a clear earlier reading. In real usage, it can simply mean:

• more carefully
• more thoroughly
• with greater attention

So the sentence can suggest:

• Read the contract carefully before you sign it

without strongly requiring the idea read it again.

Áður en is a fixed expression meaning before when it introduces a clause.

Here:

• áður en þú undirritar hann = before you sign it

It is made of:

• áður = earlier, before
• en = than / when introducing this kind of clause

Together, they function like English before in:

• before you sign it

So you should learn áður en as a common set phrase.

Because this part is not a command. It is a subordinate clause:

• áður en þú undirritar hann = before you sign it

In this clause, þú is the normal grammatical subject, so it is usually stated explicitly.

So the pattern is:

• main clause: Lestu ... → imperative, subject usually omitted
• subordinate clause: ... áður en þú undirritar ... → normal clause, subject usually present

Icelandic often uses the present tense to talk about a future action when the time reference is already clear from the sentence.

So:

• áður en þú undirritar hann literally uses present tense
• but it means before you sign it

This is very similar to English:

• Read the contract before you sign it not
• before you will sign it

So the Icelandic tense here is completely normal.

Undirritar is from the verb undirrita, which means to sign, especially in a somewhat formal or official sense.

So:

• undirrita samning = to sign a contract

It is a good verb for formal documents.

In everyday speech, Icelandic also often uses:

• skrifa undir = sign / literally write under

Both can refer to signing, but undirrita sounds more formal and fits well with samningur (contract).

Hann means it/him, and here it means it, referring back to samninginn (the contract).

Icelandic nouns have grammatical gender, and samningur is masculine. Because of that, the pronoun referring to it is also masculine:

• samningur = masculine noun
• hann = it/him for a masculine noun

It is also in the accusative here, because it is the object of undirritar:

• undirritar hann = signs it

So hann does not mean a male person here; it simply agrees with the grammatical gender of samningur.

Because Icelandic pronouns usually agree with the grammatical gender of the noun they refer to.

Since samningur is masculine, the pronoun is:

• hann = it (for a masculine noun)

If the noun were neuter, you would expect það instead.

This is different from English, where it does not show grammatical gender.

The given order is a very natural neutral order in Icelandic:

• Lestu = verb first, because it is an imperative
• samninginn = object
• betur = adverb

So:

• Lestu samninginn betur

Icelandic word order can sometimes vary for emphasis or style, but the version given sounds straightforward and natural. A learner should treat this as a good standard pattern.

Yes. Lestu is singular, used when speaking to one person.

If you were addressing more than one person, you would use the plural imperative:

• Lesið samninginn betur áður en þið undirritið hann.

So:

• Lestu = read! (one person)
• Lesið = read! (more than one person)

This is a very common distinction in Icelandic.

It is fairly neutral overall, but undirrita makes it sound a bit more formal because it is often used with official documents.

So the sentence feels like something you might see:

• in advice
• in legal or professional language
• in careful written instruction

If you replaced undirritar with skrifar undir, it would usually sound a bit more everyday and conversational.