Ég vil frekar þau.

Here frekar means rather or preferably.

With vil, it gives the idea of preferring one option over another. So the structure is close to English would rather or prefer.

A very literal breakdown is:

• Ég = I
• vil = want
• frekar = rather
• þau = them

So the Icelandic wording is closer to I want rather them, even though natural English is I prefer them or I’d rather have them.

Because vil is the correctly conjugated present-tense form for ég.

The dictionary form is vilja = to want.
But in a sentence, Icelandic usually uses a finite verb form, not the infinitive.

This verb is irregular:

• ég vil = I want
• þú vilt = you want
• hann/hún/það vill = he/she/it wants

So Ég vilja frekar þau would be wrong, because vilja is the infinitive, not the form that matches ég.

In this sentence, þau is the direct object, so it is in the accusative.

The verb vilja normally takes an accusative object. Since the speaker is wanting or preferring them, them is the object.

For the neuter plural personal pronoun, the forms are:

• nominative: þau
• accusative: þau
• dative: þeim
• genitive: þeirra

So here the form is þau because that is the correct accusative plural form — and it happens to look the same as the nominative.

Here it means them, because it is the object of the verb.

One thing that can confuse learners is that þau can be both:

• they in the nominative
• them in the accusative

The form is the same, so you have to look at the sentence structure.

In Ég vil frekar þau, ég is the subject and þau is what is being wanted/preferred, so þau is clearly them here.

It can refer to both, depending on context.

Most simply, þau can refer to:

• neuter plural things
• some groups of people, depending on how the group is being referred to
• in some contexts, children or a pair/group spoken of as þau

So you cannot tell from þau alone exactly what kind of referent it has. You need the surrounding context.

For a learner, the safest first understanding is:

• it is a 3rd person plural pronoun
• here it is the object form
• it corresponds to English them

Yes. It can be complete if the comparison is already clear from context.

Just like English can say I prefer them without naming the alternative every time, Icelandic can do the same. The sentence implies something like rather than the others or rather than those other ones, but that part can remain unstated.

If you want to make the comparison explicit, you could add en:

• Ég vil frekar þau en hin. = I prefer them rather than the others.

You can also make the idea of have more explicit:

• Ég vil frekar hafa þau. = I’d rather have them.

Because Icelandic does not always need it here.

Ég vil frekar þau already works as a short, context-based sentence meaning that the speaker prefers them. The verb vil plus frekar is enough to express that preference.

Adding hafa can make the sentence feel more explicit:

• Ég vil frekar hafa þau.

But the shorter sentence is still possible when the context makes the meaning clear.

Usually not in this structure.

Frekar is the normal word for rather / preferably when you are choosing between options.

Betur means better, and it is used in different kinds of expressions. So:

• frekar = rather / preferably
• betur = better

If you are expressing preference of choice, frekar is the right word here.

A sentence with betur would usually be built differently and would not be a direct replacement for this one.

The given order, Ég vil frekar þau, is a normal neutral order.

Icelandic can move things around for emphasis, but that is not random. For example, if you front the object for emphasis, the verb still stays in second position:

• Þau vil ég frekar. = emphatic, something like It’s them I prefer.

What usually does not sound neutral is:

• Ég frekar vil þau

So for ordinary use, the original order is a good model.

A rough learner-friendly approximation is thoy.

A few helpful points:

• þ is like th in thin, not like th in this
• au here is a diphthong that does not match English exactly, but oy is a useful approximation

So þau is roughly:

• thoy

That said, the real Icelandic vowel quality is a bit different from English, so this is only an approximation to help you get started.