Á þessari hátíð er sviðið stærra en sviðið sem við sáum í fyrra.

Because á takes the dative when it describes being at/in/on a place or event, rather than movement toward it.

So here:

• á = at/on
• þessi = this
• dative feminine singular of þessi = þessari

Since hátíð is a feminine noun, the phrase becomes á þessari hátíð = at this festival.

A useful contrast is:

• á þessari hátíð = at this festival (location)
• á þessa hátíð = onto/to this festival would suggest movement, and would use a different case

Icelandic prepositions often cover a wider range than their closest English equivalents.

Á can mean:

• on
• in
• at

depending on context.

With events such as festivals, concerts, meetings, or celebrations, English often uses at, while Icelandic commonly uses á. So:

• á þessari hátíð = at this festival

This is very normal Icelandic usage.

Sviðið means the stage.

The base noun is:

• svið = stage

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

So:

• svið = a stage / stage
• sviðið = the stage

Because the sentence is talking about a specific stage, Icelandic uses the definite form.

The sentence compares one specific stage with another specific stage:

• sviðið stærra en sviðið sem við sáum í fyrra

Literally, this is the stage is bigger than the stage that we saw last year.

English often avoids repetition and might prefer than the one we saw last year, but Icelandic is often perfectly happy to repeat the noun if it makes the comparison clear.

So the repetition is not strange here; it is just explicit and clear.

Because the adjective agrees with sviðið, which is neuter singular.

The adjective comes from:

• stór = big
• comparative = bigger

In this sentence, the comparative form must match a neuter singular subject, so it appears as:

• stærra = bigger (neuter singular)

So:

• sviðið er stærra = the stage is bigger

This kind of agreement is very important in Icelandic.

Here en means than.

It is used in comparisons:

• stærra en ... = bigger than ...
• minna en ... = smaller than ...
• betra en ... = better than ...

So the structure is:

• X er stærra en Y = X is bigger than Y

Sem introduces a relative clause. In English, this is usually that, which, or sometimes nothing at all.

So:

• sviðið sem við sáum í fyrra = the stage that we saw last year

You can think of sem as connecting the noun sviðið to the extra information about it:

• which stage?
• the stage that we saw last year

One helpful point for learners: sem does not change form for gender or case the way some other words do. It is very commonly used as a general relative word.

Because sáum is the past tense, 1st person plural form of sjá (to see).

So:

• við = we
• sáum = saw

Together:

• við sáum = we saw

This verb is irregular, so the past tense does not look very similar to the infinitive:

• sjá = to see
• sá = saw (he/she saw)
• sáum = saw (we saw)

Í fyrra is a common expression meaning last year.

So:

• við sáum í fyrra = we saw last year

It is best learned as a set phrase. Even though í often means in, the whole expression í fyrra functions like an adverb of time: last year.

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

When a phrase like Á þessari hátíð is placed first for emphasis or topic, the finite verb usually comes next:

• Á þessari hátíð er sviðið stærra ...

So the order is:

1. fronted phrase: Á þessari hátíð
2. finite verb: er
3. subject: sviðið

English can also front phrases, but it usually keeps the subject before the verb:

• At this festival, the stage is bigger ...

Icelandic is different here: once that first phrase is moved to the front, the verb typically stays in second position.