Nýr strengur gerði hljóðið betra strax.

Icelandic does not have an indefinite article. So nýr strengur can mean a new string or just new string, depending on context.

By contrast, Icelandic does have a definite article, but it is usually attached to the end of the noun. That is why you get forms like hljóðið for the sound.

If you wanted the new string, you would normally say nýi strengurinn.

Nýr agrees with strengur in gender, number, and case.

• strengur is masculine
• it is singular
• here it is in the nominative because it is the subject of the sentence

So the adjective also has to be masculine singular nominative, which gives nýr.

Very roughly:

• nýr strengur = a new string
• nýtt hljóð = a new sound
• nýja bók = a new book in a form where bók is feminine and in the accusative

In this sentence, strengur most naturally means string, especially an instrument string, such as on a guitar, violin, or similar instrument.

The word can have other meanings in other contexts, such as cord, wire, or string-like thing, so the exact meaning depends on what is being talked about.

Gerði is the past tense, third person singular form of gera, which means to do, to make, or sometimes to cause.

So:

• ég geri = I do / I make
• hann/hún/það gerir = he/she/it does / makes
• hann/hún/það gerði = he/she/it did / made

In this sentence, the subject is nýr strengur, which is singular, so gerði is the correct singular past form.

That -ið is the definite article, attached to the noun.

• hljóð = sound
• hljóðið = the sound

This is very common in Icelandic. Instead of putting a separate word like the before the noun, Icelandic often adds the article to the end of the noun.

Because hljóð is a neuter noun, the definite singular form here is hljóðið.

Hljóðið is the direct object. The subject is nýr strengur.

So the structure is:

• Nýr strengur = subject
• gerði = verb
• hljóðið = object
• betra = complement describing the object
• strax = adverb

English speakers often expect word order alone to show this, but in Icelandic, case is also important.

Here:

• strengur is in the nominative, which is the usual subject case
• hljóðið is functioning as the object of gera

One small wrinkle: for many neuter nouns, the nominative and accusative forms look the same, so hljóðið does not visibly change here. You understand its role mostly from the verb pattern and sentence structure.

Because betra agrees with hljóðið, and hljóð is neuter singular.

The comparative of góður is irregular:

• masculine/feminine: betri
• neuter: betra

Since hljóðið is neuter singular, the correct form is betra.

So:

• hljóðið varð betra = the sound became better
• tónninn varð betri = the tone became better if tónn is masculine

This is a very common question.

• betra is an adjective
• betur is an adverb

Here the sentence is saying that the sound became better, so Icelandic uses the adjective betra because it describes the noun hljóðið.

Compare:

• gerði hljóðið betra = made the sound better
• spilaði betur = played better

In the second example, betur describes how someone played, so it is an adverb.

Because góður is irregular.

Its comparison goes like this:

• góður = good
• betri / betra = better
• bestur / best = best

So betra is not a random form; it is the normal comparative form of góður.

This is a pattern where gera means make in the sense of cause something to become a certain way.

So:

• gera + object + adjective

In this sentence:

• gera
• hljóðið = the object
• betra = the adjective describing the result

So gerði hljóðið betra literally works like made the sound better.

You can see the same pattern in other examples:

• Þetta gerir verkið auðveldara. = This makes the job easier.
• Nýja lampan gerði herbergið bjartara. = The new lamp made the room brighter.

Strax means right away, immediately, or at once.

In this sentence it tells you that the improvement happened without delay.

It is an adverb, and its placement is fairly flexible. You might also see it in slightly different positions depending on emphasis, but here sentence-final position is completely natural:

• Nýr strengur gerði hljóðið betra strax.

Yes, somewhat. Icelandic word order is more flexible than English, although not completely free.

This sentence has a very straightforward order:

• subject + verb + object + complement + adverb

But Icelandic often moves elements for emphasis, especially adverbs or other sentence parts. Even so, the basic version here is the most neutral and easy to understand.

A learner should probably first understand this as a normal pattern:

• Nýr strengur
• gerði
• hljóðið betra
• strax

The cluster hlj- is unusual for English speakers.

A practical learner-friendly approximation is:

• hljóðið ≈ HLYOH-thith or HLYOH-dhith

A few helpful points:

• hlj begins with a breathy hl sound followed quickly by a y-like sound
• ó is a long vowel, roughly like yo in many descriptions
• ð is like the th in this, not the one in thin
• the final -ið is a common ending in definite neuter nouns

Exact pronunciation takes practice, but the main thing is recognizing that hljóðið is one word: hljóð + ið.