Trommarinn beið í smástund á meðan hún lagaði fiðluna.

In Icelandic, the is usually added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.

• trommari = drummer
• trommarinn = the drummer

The ending -inn here is the definite article attached to a masculine singular noun in the nominative case.

Beið is the past tense of the verb bíða, which means to wait.

So:

• bíða = to wait
• beið = waited

This is a strong verb, so the past tense is not formed by simply adding a regular ending. You have to learn beið as the past form of bíða.

Because here beið means simply waited with no object after it.

In Icelandic:

• bíða can mean to wait
• bíða eftir einhverjum/einhverju means to wait for someone/something

So this sentence is just saying that the drummer waited for a short time. It does not say he waited for someone.

Í smástund means for a short while or for a moment.

Literally:

• í = in, for
• smástund = short while, little moment

This is a very natural Icelandic time expression. English uses for here, but Icelandic often uses í with a duration.

After í, Icelandic can use either accusative or dative depending on the meaning.

• accusative often suggests movement into something, or duration in some expressions
• dative often suggests location

In í smástund, the phrase expresses duration of time, so the accusative is used.

That is why you get smástund, not a dative form.

Á meðan means while or during the time that.

It introduces a subordinate clause:

• á meðan hún lagaði fiðluna = while she was fixing/adjusting the violin

So the whole sentence is structured like this:

• main clause: Trommarinn beið í smástund
• subordinate clause: á meðan hún lagaði fiðluna

Because this is a subordinate clause after á meðan.

In main clauses, Icelandic usually follows the verb-second pattern, but subordinate clauses often have more straightforward subject-verb order.

So after á meðan, it is natural to say:

• hún lagaði fiðluna = she fixed the violin

That is normal subordinate-clause word order.

Lagaði is the past tense of laga, which often means:

• fix
• repair
• adjust
• put in order

In musical contexts, the exact English translation can depend on context. It could mean she was literally repairing the violin, or more loosely adjusting something about it. Grammatically, though, it is simply the past tense form of laga.

Because fiðluna is the definite accusative singular form of fiðla, which means violin.

Here is the breakdown:

• fiðla = a violin
• fiðlan = the violin, nominative
• fiðluna = the violin, accusative

It is accusative because fiðluna is the direct object of lagaði.

So:

• hún lagaði fiðluna = she fixed/adjusted the violin

Because Icelandic definite endings change depending on:

• gender
• number
• case

So the article is not one fixed form.

In this sentence:

• trommarinn is masculine singular nominative
• fiðluna is feminine singular accusative

Since the grammatical forms are different, the definite ending is different too.

Yes. Icelandic allows some flexibility in word order.

For example, you could also say:

• Á meðan hún lagaði fiðluna beið trommarinn í smástund.

That still means the same thing.

But notice something important: if the sentence begins with the á meðan clause, the main clause still follows Icelandic verb-second rules, so beið comes before trommarinn in the main clause.

Yes. Smástund is a fixed compound-like word meaning a short while or a brief moment.

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

Together, smástund functions as a normal noun. Icelandic forms many words this way, and learners will see this pattern often.