Við þurfum varanlega lausn, ekki bara tímabundna hjálp.

Þurfa is the infinitive, meaning to need.
Þurfum is the present-tense form that goes with við = we.

So:

• að þurfa = to need
• við þurfum = we need

Icelandic verbs change form depending on the subject, so við þurfum is the normal way to say we need.

They are in the accusative singular because they are direct objects of þurfa.

The verb þurfa usually takes an accusative object:

• þurfa lausn = need a solution
• þurfa hjálp = need help

In this sentence, the noun forms lausn and hjálp happen to look the same as their nominative singular forms. The case is easier to spot on the adjectives in front of them.

Because they agree with the nouns they describe.

Both lausn and hjálp are:

• feminine
• singular
• accusative

So the adjectives must also be feminine singular accusative.

That gives:

• varanlega lausn
• tímabundna hjálp

If these nouns were nominative instead, you would see different forms:

• varanleg lausn
• tímabundin hjálp

So the endings are showing grammatical agreement, not just vocabulary.

Here it is an adjective.

It describes the noun lausn, so it means permanent in the sense of a permanent solution.

This can confuse learners because varanlega can also look like an adverb form, and in other contexts it can mean permanently. But in this sentence it is clearly modifying lausn, so it is functioning as an adjective.

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

So:

• lausn can mean solution or a solution
• hjálp can mean help or some help

If you want the, Icelandic usually adds it to the end of the noun:

• lausnin = the solution
• hjálpin = the help

So varanlega lausn naturally means a permanent solution, even though there is no separate word for a.

Ekki bara means not just or not merely.

So:

• ekki bara tímabundna hjálp = not just temporary help

It is a very common pattern in Icelandic. It often appears in a fuller structure like:

• ekki bara X heldur líka Y = not only X but also Y

In your sentence, the idea is slightly shorter and more natural in English as:

• we need a permanent solution, not just temporary help

Because the two orders mean different things.

• ekki bara = not just, not only
• bara ekki = just not, simply not

So in this sentence, ekki bara is the correct choice because the speaker is contrasting temporary help with something more substantial.

If you changed it to bara ekki, the meaning would no longer be not just temporary help. It would sound like a different kind of negation.

Yes, that is a perfectly natural alternative.

That version means:

• We need not just temporary help, but a permanent solution

The difference is mostly one of emphasis:

• Við þurfum varanlega lausn, ekki bara tímabundna hjálp.
  Starts with what is needed, then rejects the weaker alternative.

• Við þurfum ekki bara tímabundna hjálp, heldur varanlega lausn.
  Presents the contrast more explicitly as not only X, but Y.

Both are good Icelandic.

This is normal Icelandic main-clause word order.

The basic structure is:

• Við = subject
• þurfum = finite verb
• varanlega lausn = object

Icelandic is a verb-second language in main clauses. That means the finite verb usually comes in the second slot.

So if you start with the subject, you get:

• Við þurfum varanlega lausn

If you moved another element to the front, the verb would still stay second:

• Núna þurfum við varanlega lausn = Now we need a permanent solution

That verb-second pattern is a very important feature of Icelandic.

These two letters are very important in Icelandic:

• þ is like th in thing
• ð is like th in this

So:

• þurfum starts with the thing sound
• við ends with the this sound

A few helpful notes:

• þ is always voiceless
• ð is never used at the beginning of a word in Icelandic
• English speakers often mix them up at first, which is very normal

So a rough guide is:

• þurfum ≈ THUR-vum with the thing sound
• við ≈ vith with the this sound

Because the sentence is talking about two general kinds of need:

• a permanent solution
• temporary help

In Icelandic, as in English, singular nouns are often used for this kind of general statement.

So the sentence is not talking about several separate solutions or several different kinds of help. It is making a broad contrast between:

• one lasting answer
• short-term assistance

That is why singular sounds natural here.