Ég skræli avókadóið varlega og hún kreistir sítrónuna yfir það.

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

So here:

• avókadóið = the avocado
• sítrónuna = the lemon

This is very normal in Icelandic. English says the avocado, but Icelandic often says the equivalent of avocado-the.

The ending -ið is the definite article for a neuter singular noun in this form.

So:

• avókadó = an avocado / avocado
• avókadóið = the avocado

In this sentence, avókadóið is the direct object of skræli, and for this noun the definite form looks the same in nominative and accusative singular.

Because sítróna is a feminine noun, and here it is a definite direct object.

So the forms are:

• sítróna = a lemon
• sítrónuna = the lemon in the accusative singular

The verb kreista takes a direct object, so the lemon appears in the accusative here.

Það refers back to avókadóið.

This often surprises English speakers because Icelandic pronouns must agree with the noun’s grammatical gender, not with real-world sex or animacy. Since avókadó is neuter, the pronoun is also neuter:

• avókadóið → það

So yfir það means over it, with it referring to the avocado.

The preposition yfir can take different cases, depending on the meaning.

A useful basic rule is:

• accusative: movement or direction
• dative: location or position

Here the idea is that the lemon juice is being squeezed onto / over the avocado, so there is direction involved. That is why Icelandic uses yfir það.

Very roughly:

• yfir það = over onto it
• yfir því = over it, above it, in a more static sense

Because they are different verbs, and Icelandic verbs change form depending on the subject.

Here:

• Ég skræli = I peel
• hún kreistir = she squeezes

So the endings are not the same because:

1. the subjects are different: ég vs hún
2. the verbs belong to different conjugation patterns

This is very common in Icelandic. You cannot assume all present-tense verbs will use the same ending.

Varlega is an adverb, meaning something like carefully or gently.

It modifies the verb skræli, telling you how the peeling is done:

• Ég skræli avókadóið varlega = I peel the avocado carefully

Its position is natural Icelandic. Adverbs can be somewhat flexible in Icelandic, but this placement is perfectly normal.

Because og joins two separate clauses:

• Ég skræli avókadóið varlega
• hún kreistir sítrónuna yfir það

Each clause has its own subject, so Icelandic normally states both:

• ég = I
• hún = she

That is not unusual or redundant. It is just the normal way to show clearly who is doing each action.

Literally, yes, the sentence says she squeezes the lemon over it, but the intended meaning is the natural one: she squeezes the lemon so that the juice goes over the avocado.

Icelandic, like English, does not need to mention juice explicitly here. The object is the lemon, but what actually ends up on the avocado is understood to be its juice.

The word order here is very natural, but Icelandic word order is generally a bit more flexible than English.

This sentence follows a clear pattern:

• subject + verb + object + adverb
• then og
• then subject + verb + object + prepositional phrase

So:

• Ég
  • skræli
    • avókadóið
      • varlega
• og
• hún
  • kreistir
    • sítrónuna
      • yfir það

Even though Icelandic allows some movement for emphasis or style, this version is straightforward and learner-friendly.