Við sitjum kyrr í smástund.

Sitja is the dictionary form, meaning to sit.

In the sentence, the verb has to agree with við (we), so it becomes sitjum, which is the 1st person plural present tense form:

• ég sit — I sit / I am sitting
• þú situr — you sit / you are sitting
• við sitjum — we sit / we are sitting

So Við sitjum means we sit or we are sitting.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Icelandic often uses the simple present where English might use either:

• we sit
• we are sitting

So Við sitjum kyrr í smástund can naturally be understood as We sit still for a moment or We are sitting still for a moment.

Kyrr means still, motionless, or without moving.

In this sentence, it tells you how we are sitting: not fidgeting, not getting up, not moving around.

It is very common with verbs of position or movement, for example:

• sitja kyrr — sit still
• standa kyrr — stand still
• vera kyrr — be still / stay still

So here kyrr adds the idea of remaining still.

Here kyrr is being used adverbially, not as a neuter adjective.

English speakers often expect something like still to behave the same way every time, but in Icelandic, forms can differ depending on how the word is functioning.

In the fixed-type expression sitja kyrr, the normal form is kyrr:

• Við sitjum kyrr. — We sit still.
• Barnið stendur kyrr. — The child stands still.

So this is the form you should learn with verbs like sitja, standa, and vera in this sense.

Literally, í smástund is something like for a short while or for a moment.

Even though í often means in, Icelandic also uses í in many time expressions where English uses for:

• í smástund — for a moment / for a little while
• í nokkra daga — for a few days
• í langan tíma — for a long time

So this is a normal Icelandic way to express duration.

Yes, smástund is one word.

Icelandic very often forms new words by making compounds. Here:

• smá — small, little
• stund — moment, while, period of time

Together:

• smástund — a short while, a little moment

This is extremely common in Icelandic, so seeing one-word compounds is normal.

Icelandic does not use an indefinite article like English a/an.

So where English says:

• for a moment

Icelandic can simply say:

• í smástund

If you wanted a definite meaning like the moment or that short while, Icelandic would express that differently, often by using the definite ending or other context.

So the lack of a is completely normal.

No. Sitja means to be sitting or to sit in the sense of already being seated.

If you want to sit down, the usual verb is:

• setjast — to sit down

So:

• Við sitjum kyrr — We are sitting still.
• Við setjumst — We sit down.

This is an important distinction for English speakers, because English sit can sometimes cover both ideas.

Yes, but the given order is the most neutral and natural here:

• Við sitjum kyrr í smástund.

Icelandic is a verb-second language, so the finite verb usually comes early in the sentence. If you move another element to the front, the verb still stays in second position:

• Í smástund sitjum við kyrr.

That version is possible, but it sounds more marked, as if you are emphasizing for a moment.

So the original sentence is a very natural default order.

Yes, you could, but the meaning changes slightly.

• Við sitjum í smástund. — We sit for a moment / We stay seated for a moment.
• Við sitjum kyrr í smástund. — We sit still for a moment.

With kyrr, the sentence specifically emphasizes not moving. Without it, the sentence just says that the sitting lasts for a short time.

So kyrr is not required grammatically, but it adds an important nuance.