Ef smekkurinn er skítugur, þvæ ég hann strax.

The ending -inn is the definite article attached to the noun, so smekkurinn means the bib rather than just a bib.

• smekkur = bib
• smekkurinn = the bib

In Icelandic, the word for the is often added directly onto the noun instead of being a separate word.

Skítugur matches smekkurinn in gender, number, and case.

Here, smekkurinn is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective also appears in the masculine singular nominative form:

• skítugur = dirty

This happens because the adjective comes after er and describes the subject. In Icelandic, predicate adjectives still agree with the subject.

Because in the clause smekkurinn er skítugur, the bib is the subject of the verb er (is), not the object of wash.

So in that clause:

• smekkurinn = subject
• skítugur = adjective describing that subject

That is why both are in the nominative.

Later, in the main clause, the bib becomes the object:

• þvæ ég hann strax
• hann = it/him in the accusative

So the same thing is referred to in two different grammatical roles in the two clauses.

This is because Icelandic follows a verb-second pattern in main clauses.

The sentence starts with the subordinate clause:

• Ef smekkurinn er skítugur = If the bib is dirty

After that comes the main clause, and in Icelandic the finite verb usually comes first in that clause:

• þvæ ég hann strax

So the order is:

1. introductory clause
2. finite verb
3. subject

That is why you get:

• Ef ..., þvæ ég ...

and not normally:

• Ef ..., ég þvæ ...

Þvæ is the 1st person singular present tense of the verb að þvo (to wash).

So:

• að þvo = to wash
• ég þvæ = I wash

This is an irregular verb, so the form is not something you could guess just by adding a regular ending.

Hann refers back to smekkurinn.

Since smekkur is a masculine noun, the pronoun used for it is the masculine form:

• hann

In English, we usually say it, but Icelandic pronouns reflect grammatical gender, so masculine nouns are often referred to with hann.

Also, in this sentence hann is the object of the verb þvæ, so it is in the accusative form.

Grammatically, yes, hann is the same form that can mean he/him, but here it is best understood as it, because it refers to an object, the bib.

Icelandic uses grammatical gender more broadly than English does. So a masculine inanimate noun can still be referred to with hann.

Strax means right away, immediately, or at once.

In this sentence:

• þvæ ég hann strax = I wash it immediately / right away

It adds the idea that the action happens without delay.

Ef means if and introduces a conditional clause.

So:

• Ef smekkurinn er skítugur = If the bib is dirty

It sets up the condition for the action in the main clause.

Er is the present tense of að vera (to be) and is normal here because this is a straightforward, real condition:

• If the bib is dirty, I wash it right away.

Icelandic often uses the indicative in ordinary if-clauses like this, especially when talking about regular or real situations.

Not always. Smekkur can also mean taste or sense of style in other contexts.

For example, depending on context, smekkur might refer to:

• a baby’s bib
• someone’s taste in clothes, music, art, etc.

In this sentence, because something is dirty and gets washed, the meaning is clearly bib.

The comma separates the introductory subordinate clause from the main clause:

• Ef smekkurinn er skítugur, þvæ ég hann strax.

This is very common in Icelandic. It helps show where the condition ends and the main statement begins.

Without the definite article, you would have:

• Ef smekkur er skítugur, þvæ ég hann strax.

But this is less natural in most ordinary contexts if you mean a specific bib. The original sentence with smekkurinn sounds more like If the bib is dirty, I wash it right away.

If you wanted a bib in a more indefinite sense, you would often phrase things differently depending on context.

It most naturally sounds like a habitual or general statement:

• If the bib is dirty, I wash it right away.

That is because Icelandic present tense, like English present tense, can describe something someone regularly does.

Depending on context, it could also describe a current situation, but the most natural reading is a routine or policy.

A rough guide is that þ sounds like the th in thin, and æ is pronounced somewhat like the vowel in eye or I, though not exactly the same as English.

So þvæ is roughly like:

• thvai / th-vy

The exact sound depends on accent and natural Icelandic pronunciation, but the important part is:

• þ = unvoiced th
• æ = a diphthong-like vowel sound

You can understand it word-for-word, but natural English usually smooths it out a little.

Very close breakdown:

• Ef = if
• smekkurinn = the bib
• er = is
• skítugur = dirty
• þvæ ég = wash I
• hann = it
• strax = immediately

Natural English:

• If the bib is dirty, I wash it right away.

So the meaning is straightforward, but the word order is not exactly the same as in English.