Miðinn er enn á nýju flíkinni.

Miðinn means the tag or the label.

The base noun is miði = tag, ticket, label, and -inn is the suffixed definite article, so:

• miði = a tag
• miðinn = the tag

In this sentence, it most naturally refers to the store tag still attached to a piece of clothing.

Because Icelandic usually adds the to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English does.

So:

• miði = a tag
• miðinn = the tag

This ending -inn is the masculine singular nominative definite ending here.

Since miðinn is the subject of the sentence, it appears in the nominative case.

Flíkinni means the garment, the piece of clothing, or the item of clothing.

The base noun is:

• flík = garment / article of clothing

Then Icelandic adds endings for both definiteness and case:

• flík = a garment
• flíkin = the garment
• flíkinni = to/on/in the garment or piece of clothing, depending on the preposition and context

In this sentence, flíkinni is in the dative singular definite, because of the preposition á in this usage.

Because the preposition á here takes the dative when it means on in a static sense, meaning location rather than movement.

The sentence is describing where the tag is located: it is still on the garment. There is no motion involved.

So:

• á
  • dative = location, on
• á
  • accusative can often indicate motion onto something

That is why:

• flík becomes flíkinni (dative singular definite)
• nýr becomes nýju to agree with the noun in case, number, gender, and definiteness

So á nýju flíkinni = on the new garment

Adjectives in Icelandic must agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case
• and also whether the noun is definite

Here, the noun is flíkinni, which is:

• feminine
• singular
• dative
• definite

Because the noun is definite (the garment), the adjective usually takes the weak form.

That gives:

• nýju flíkinni = the new garment in the dative singular feminine definite environment

So nýju is exactly the form required by the grammar of the phrase.

Enn means still here.

So the sentence says that the tag is still on the garment.

A few common meanings of enn include:

• still
• yet
• sometimes even more / further, depending on context

In this sentence, still is the natural meaning.

Yes, enn can sometimes move around somewhat, but the position here is very natural.

The sentence structure is:

• Miðinn = subject
• er = is
• enn = still
• á nýju flíkinni = on the new garment

So the sentence flows as:

• The tag is still on the new garment

Placing enn after the verb is very common in simple statements like this.

Other placements may be possible depending on emphasis, but Miðinn er enn á nýju flíkinni is the neutral, natural order.

Flík is a normal Icelandic word, but it is a bit more like garment or article of clothing than the everyday English word clothes.

It often refers to:

• a single item of clothing
• a garment
• a piece of apparel

Depending on context, it can sound slightly more formal or descriptive than some other clothing words.

So in this sentence, nýju flíkinni is like saying:

• the new garment
• the new item of clothing

If the context is shopping, that makes perfect sense.

Because Icelandic usually expresses definiteness by attaching the definite article to the noun itself.

Compare:

• miði = a tag
• miðinn = the tag

and

• flík = a garment
• flíkinni = the garment (in dative singular)

English uses a separate article:

• the tag
• the garment

Icelandic usually builds the into the noun ending instead.

You can tell from both meaning and case.

Miðinn is in the nominative singular, which is the normal case for the subject. It is the thing being described as existing in a certain place.

So:

• Miðinn = the thing we are talking about
• er = is
• á nýju flíkinni = where it is

In other words, the sentence is saying something about the tag, not about the garment.

Then Icelandic would normally use á with the accusative instead of the dative, because the meaning would involve motion toward a surface.

This sentence uses the dative because it describes location:

• á nýju flíkinni = on the new garment (already there)

If you changed it to motion, the noun phrase would likely change case accordingly. That is a very common Icelandic pattern with prepositions like á:

• dative for location
• accusative for movement toward/onto something

So this sentence is a good example of the location use.

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker is:

MITH-inn er enn au NEE-yuh FLEE-kinn-ee

A few helpful notes:

• ð in Miðinn sounds like the th in this
• á is pronounced like ow in now, but longer
• ý is like a long ee
• flík has an ee sound
• -inni in flíkinni is pronounced with a clear n-n sound

This is only an approximation, but it can help you start hearing the parts of the sentence.