Vinátta getur orðið varanleg þegar fólk hlustar vel hvort á annað.

The dictionary form of the verb is verða, meaning become. But after geta (can), Icelandic uses the non-finite form orðið here. So getur orðið means can become.

The important thing for a learner is:

• verða = dictionary form, to become
• getur orðið = can become

Even though orðið may look like a past form, it is not past tense here.

Varanleg means lasting, durable, or permanent. Here it is a predicate adjective after orðið (become), so it agrees with vinátta.

Since vinátta is feminine singular, the adjective appears in the matching form:

• masculine: varanlegur
• feminine: varanleg
• neuter: varanlegt

So vinátta getur orðið varanleg literally means friendship can become lasting.

Þegar means when. It introduces the subordinate clause þegar fólk hlustar vel hvort á annað.

In this sentence, þegar does not just refer to one specific moment in time. It has a more general sense, like when / whenever in a general truth: Friendship can become lasting when people listen well to each other.

Because fólk is grammatically a singular noun in Icelandic, even though its meaning is collective and refers to multiple people. So Icelandic uses a singular verb with it:

• fólk hlustar
• fólk kemur
• fólk talar

This is similar to how some collective nouns work in English, but in Icelandic the singular grammar is very regular with fólk.

Hlustar means listens, and vel means well. Together, hlustar vel means listens well.

In natural English, that often comes out as:

• listen well
• listen carefully
• be good at listening

So fólk hlustar vel is not just about hearing sounds; it suggests attentive, good listening.

Because the verb hlusta normally takes the preposition á when you say what someone is listening to.

So:

• hlusta á tónlist = listen to music
• hlusta á mig = listen to me
• hlusta á annað fólk = listen to other people

That is why the sentence has hlustar ... á .... English uses to after listen, but Icelandic uses á.

Hvort á annað is a reciprocal expression meaning to each other or to one another.

So:

• fólk hlustar vel hvort á annað = people listen well to each other

The phrase is split because of the preposition á:

• hvort ... annað

This is very common in Icelandic reciprocal expressions. The preposition belongs with the verb hlusta á, so it comes between the two parts.

This reciprocal phrase agrees with fólk, which is grammatically neuter singular. That is why you get the neuter forms hvort and annað here.

Also, á requires the accusative case, which helps determine the form annað.

So the phrase is shaped by two things:

1. fólk is grammatically neuter singular
2. hlusta á takes the accusative

For a beginner, it is best to learn hvort á annað here as a set expression meaning to each other.

The word order in the original sentence is natural and standard:

Vinátta getur orðið varanleg þegar fólk hlustar vel hvort á annað.

But you can move the þegar clause to the front. If you do, the main clause follows Icelandic verb-second word order:

Þegar fólk hlustar vel hvort á annað, getur vinátta orðið varanleg.

So yes, the sentence can be rearranged, but the verb placement has to follow Icelandic word-order rules.