Það er langt síðan við fórum síðast með ferju úr þessari höfn.

This is a very common Icelandic pattern meaning it has been a long time since ...

• Það er = literally it is
• langt = long
• síðan = since

So Það er langt síðan við fórum ... literally looks like It is long since we went ..., but in natural English it usually becomes It has been a long time since we went ...

The það here is not referring to a specific thing. It is a dummy subject, similar to English it in it is raining or it is late.

Because Icelandic often uses the simple past after síðan in this kind of sentence.

So:

• Það er langt síðan við fórum ... = It has been a long time since we went ...

Even though English often prefers have in the main clause, Icelandic keeps the clause after síðan in the past tense.

Here:

• fórum = we went

This is completely normal Icelandic usage.

Here síðan means since.

It connects the first part of the sentence with the event that happened in the past:

• Það er langt síðan = it has been a long time
• við fórum síðast ... = since we last went ...

Be careful, because síðan can also mean then in other contexts. Its meaning depends on the sentence.

Fórum is the 1st person plural past tense of fara (to go).

So:

• ég fór = I went
• við fórum = we went

In this sentence, við fórum means we went.

Síðast means last or the last time.

So:

• við fórum = we went
• við fórum síðast = we last went

It tells you that the sentence is talking about the most recent time this happened.

Without síðast, the sentence would mean something more like It has been a long time since we went by ferry from this harbor, but it would not emphasize that this was the last time.

Icelandic word order is fairly flexible, but this order is very natural.

• við fórum = subject + verb
• síðast = adverb
• með ferju = by ferry
• úr þessari höfn = from this harbor

So the sentence gives the event first, then the time-related adverb síðast, then the means of travel, then the place of departure.

Other word orders may also be possible, but they can sound more marked or put focus on different parts. This version is a neutral, natural way to say it.

Yes, með often means with, but it can also be used to express means of transport or how something is done.

So:

• með ferju = by ferry

This is similar to how Icelandic says things like:

• með bíl = by car
• með lest = by train

Here ferju is the correct case form after með in this meaning.

Ferju is in the dative singular.

That is because með usually takes:

• dative when it means with/by
• accusative when it means along/accompanied by in some contexts

In this sentence, með ferju means by ferry, so the dative is used.

The noun is ferja (ferry), and its dative singular form is ferju.

Úr takes the dative, so both the demonstrative and the noun are in dative singular.

Breakdown:

• úr = out of / from
• þessari = dative singular feminine of þessi (this)
• höfn = dative singular of höfn (harbor, port)

So:

• þessi höfn = this harbor
• úr þessari höfn = from this harbor

The noun höfn is a feminine noun. You can see that from the form of the demonstrative:

• þessari is the feminine dative singular form of þessi

So the agreement tells you the gender:

• masculine would have a different form
• neuter would also have a different form

In Icelandic, adjectives and demonstratives usually agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

Sometimes yes, but úr and frá are not always exactly the same.

• úr often suggests out of or departure from inside/out of something
• frá is a more general from

With places like harbors, both may sometimes be understandable, but úr þessari höfn feels very natural when talking about a departure point. It gives a sense of going out from the harbor.

So úr is a good, idiomatic choice here.

Here við is just the normal subject pronoun meaning we.

There is no special emphasis built into it by itself. If someone wanted to emphasize we, that would usually come from intonation or from changing the sentence structure.

Not very naturally. A very literal version would be something like:

• It is long since we went last by ferry out of this harbor.

That is understandable, but it sounds unnatural in normal English.

A more natural English translation is:

• It has been a long time since we last took a ferry from this harbor.
• or It’s been a long time since we last went by ferry from this harbor.

So this is a good example where you should understand the Icelandic structure, not just translate each word mechanically.

Because in this sentence það is functioning as the subject of er in the expression Það er langt síðan ...

In Icelandic, það can mean:

• it
• that
• sometimes a dummy subject with no concrete meaning

Here it is the last one: a dummy it, just like English it in It has been a long time ...

So you should not read it as that here.