Seinna um kvöldið kom önnur viðvörun í símann minn, en þá vorum við komin heim.

Later in the evening another warning came to my phone, but by then we had arrived home.

Breakdown of Seinna um kvöldið kom önnur viðvörun í símann minn, en þá vorum við komin heim.

• vera: to be
• við: we
• í: to
• seinna: later

Questions & Answers about Seinna um kvöldið kom önnur viðvörun í símann minn, en þá vorum við komin heim.

Why is the word order Seinna um kvöldið kom önnur viðvörun instead of Önnur viðvörun kom seinna um kvöldið?

Because Icelandic normally follows a verb-second pattern in main clauses.

Here, Seinna um kvöldið takes the first position. Once that slot is filled, the finite verb kom must come second, and the subject önnur viðvörun comes after it.

So the pattern is:

• Seinna um kvöldið = first slot
• kom = verb in second slot
• önnur viðvörun = subject

If you started with the subject instead, Önnur viðvörun kom seinna um kvöldið would also be grammatical.

What does Seinna um kvöldið mean literally, and why is um used?

Literally:

• seinna = later
• um kvöldið = in the evening / that evening

So Seinna um kvöldið means later in the evening or later that evening.

The preposition um is very common in time expressions and often means something like during or around. In this use, it takes the accusative case, which is why you get kvöldið here.

Why is it önnur viðvörun and not annar viðvörun?