Það er eðlileg spurning, og svarið er ekki skrýtið þegar maður skilur textann.

In this sentence, Það er works like it is:

• Það er eðlileg spurning = It is a natural question

Icelandic það can sometimes act as a dummy subject, much like English it in sentences such as It is good, It is strange, It is raining.

So here, það does not refer to a specific thing. It is just the grammatical subject needed for the sentence.

Because spurning is a feminine noun.

The adjective eðlilegur must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:

• masculine: eðlilegur
• feminine: eðlileg
• neuter: eðlilegt

Since spurning is feminine singular, the correct form is:

• eðlileg spurning = a natural question

This kind of adjective agreement is very important in Icelandic.

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

So:

• spurning can mean question or a question
• eðlileg spurning = a natural question

Whether it is understood as question or a question depends on context.

By contrast, Icelandic usually expresses the by attaching the definite article to the noun:

• svar = answer
• svarið = the answer

Because svarið means the answer.

Icelandic normally adds the definite article to the end of the noun:

• svar = answer
• svarið = the answer

This ending changes depending on the noun’s gender, number, and case. Since svar is a neuter noun, the singular nominative/accusative definite form is svarið.

So:

• svarið er ekki skrýtið = the answer is not strange

Because svarið is a neuter singular noun, and the adjective must agree with it.

The adjective skrýtinn changes form:

• masculine: skrýtinn
• feminine: skrýtin
• neuter: skrýtið

Since svarið is neuter singular, the correct form is:

• svarið er ekki skrýtið = the answer is not strange

This is another example of adjective agreement.

Ekki is the normal Icelandic word for not, and it usually comes before the word or phrase being negated.

So:

• er ekki skrýtið = is not strange

This is the standard placement in a sentence like this. Compare:

• Hann er ekki hér. = He is not here.
• Þetta er ekki gott. = This is not good.

So the placement of ekki here is completely regular.

Here þegar means when:

• þegar maður skilur textann = when one understands the text

In context, it can also feel close to English once or when ... finally, depending on translation style, but the basic meaning is when.

So the idea is:

• the answer is not strange when you understand the text

Literally, maður does mean man, but it is also very often used in an impersonal/general sense, like English:

• one
• you
• sometimes even general people

So:

• þegar maður skilur textann

can mean:

• when one understands the text
• when you understand the text

This is very common in everyday Icelandic. Even though the word literally means man, in many sentences it is just a general way to talk about people.

Skilur is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb að skilja = to understand.

Because the subject is maður, which is grammatically 3rd person singular, the verb must also be 3rd person singular:

• maður skilur = one understands / you understand

Some related forms are:

• ég skil = I understand
• þú skilur = you understand
• hann/hún/það skilur = he/she/it understands
• maður skilur = one understands

So the form is exactly what the grammar requires.

Because skilja normally takes a direct object, and here the text is that object. In Icelandic, a direct object often appears in the accusative case.

The noun is texti = text, and its definite accusative singular form is textann:

• nominative: textinn = the text
• accusative: textann = the text

So:

• maður skilur textann = one understands the text

This is a very useful pattern to notice: the form of a noun can change depending on its role in the sentence.

Yes, Icelandic word order is somewhat flexible, but this version is very natural and neutral.

The sentence is structured like this:

• Það er eðlileg spurning
• og
• svarið er ekki skrýtið
• þegar maður skilur textann

The þegar clause comes after the main statement and explains under what condition the answer is not strange.

You could sometimes move elements around for emphasis, but the given order is straightforward and idiomatic. For a learner, it is best to understand this as the normal pattern:

main clause + subordinate clause

In Icelandic punctuation, commas are often used differently from English. A subordinate clause introduced by þegar does not always need a comma in the same way an English learner might expect.

So:

• ... er ekki skrýtið þegar maður skilur textann

is perfectly normal without a comma.

You may sometimes see commas depending on style, sentence complexity, or editorial preference, but the version without a comma is very natural.

It depends on context. Eðlilegur/eðlileg/eðlilegt often means:

• natural
• normal
• reasonable

In Það er eðlileg spurning, the sense is something like:

• That’s a natural question
• That’s a reasonable question
• That’s a perfectly normal question

So even if the basic meaning shown to the learner is fixed, it is good to know that eðlileg can cover several close English ideas.

Not always. Skrýtinn / skrýtin / skrýtið can mean:

• strange
• odd
• weird

The strength depends on context. In this sentence:

• svarið er ekki skrýtið þegar maður skilur textann

the idea is probably:

• the answer is not strange/odd once you understand the text

It does not necessarily sound very dramatic. It can simply mean it makes sense once you understand the text.