Samtalið tekur fimm mínútur.

The -ið is the definite article attached to the end of the noun. Icelandic usually puts the at the end of the word instead of using a separate word like English does.

• samtal = conversation
• samtalið = the conversation

This noun is neuter singular, and -ið is the definite ending here.

Because Samtalið means the conversation, while samtal would mean a conversation or just conversation in a general sense.

So:

• Samtalið tekur fimm mínútur. = The conversation takes five minutes.
• Samtal tekur fimm mínútur. = A conversation takes five minutes or Conversation takes five minutes depending on context

Tekur is the present tense of the verb taka, which usually means to take.

Here it is used just like English take in expressions of duration:

• það tekur tíma = it takes time
• það tekur fimm mínútur = it takes five minutes

In this sentence, Samtalið tekur fimm mínútur literally means The conversation takes five minutes.

Because the subject is Samtalið, which is singular: the conversation.

In Icelandic, the verb agrees with the subject in person and number. Since the subject is third person singular, the verb is also third person singular:

• samtalið tekur = the conversation takes
• samtölin taka = the conversations take

This means five minutes.

• fimm = five
• mínútur = minutes

The noun mínúta is feminine. After a number like fimm, it appears in the plural.

Also, with taka used for duration, the amount of time is typically in the accusative case. In this example, mínútur is the accusative plural form.

Conveniently, for this word, the nominative plural and accusative plural are the same:

• nominative plural: mínútur
• accusative plural: mínútur

So you see fimm mínútur.

No, fimm is normally indeclinable, which means it does not change form.

That is useful because some smaller numbers can change depending on gender and case, but fimm stays fimm.

So you get:

• fimm mínútur
• fimm daga
• fimm ár

The number stays the same.

Because Icelandic can make the actual thing doing the action the subject directly:

• Samtalið tekur fimm mínútur. = The conversation takes five minutes.

English sometimes uses a more abstract structure like It takes five minutes, but here both languages can use the concrete subject:

• The conversation takes five minutes.
• Samtalið tekur fimm mínútur.

So nothing extra like it is needed.

This is the normal basic word order:

• Subject + Verb + Time expression
• Samtalið + tekur + fimm mínútur

So it is a straightforward sentence.

Icelandic often follows verb-second word order, which means the finite verb tends to come in the second position. In this simple sentence, that gives the same result as standard English order.

For example, if you begin with another element, the verb still comes second:

• Í dag tekur samtalið fimm mínútur. = Today the conversation takes five minutes.

Notice that tekur still stays in second position.

It is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence.

The subject of a basic Icelandic sentence is usually in the nominative:

• Samtalið = subject
• tekur = verb
• fimm mínútur = duration expression

So Samtalið is nominative singular definite.

Not if you want to say takes five minutes.

vera (to be) and taka (to take) are used differently.

• Samtalið tekur fimm mínútur. = The conversation takes five minutes.
• Samtalið er fimm mínútur. would sound unnatural for this meaning.

To express duration needed to complete something, Icelandic normally uses taka.

The ending -ur here is the plural form of mínúta.

The singular is:

• mínúta = minute

The plural is:

• mínútur = minutes

So:

• ein mínúta = one minute
• fimm mínútur = five minutes

Because the sentence is talking about five of them, the plural is required.