Getið þér sagt mér hvort brokkolíið sé ferskt í dag?

A helpful breakdown is:

• Getið = can / are able to (2nd person plural, also used for formal singular)
• þér = you (formal/polite)
• sagt = said / told (the form used here after geta)
• mér = to me
• hvort = whether / if
• brokkolíið = the broccoli
• sé = is / be (subjunctive form of vera)
• ferskt = fresh
• í dag = today

So the structure is basically:

Can you tell me whether the broccoli is fresh today?

Because þér is a formal/polite way of saying you.

A few important points:

• þú = normal singular you
• þér = formal/polite you
• When þér is used this way, the verb takes a plural form

So:

• Getur þú ...? = informal / normal singular
• Getið þér ...? = formal / polite

This is similar to older European-style polite address. In modern everyday Icelandic, most people usually say þú, so Getur þú or Geturðu is more common in ordinary speech.

This is a very common learner question.

After geta (can / be able to), Icelandic normally uses the supine form of the main verb, not the plain infinitive.

So:

• geta sagt = can say / can tell
• not geta segja

For the verb segja:

• infinitive: segja
• supine: sagt

Other examples:

• ég get farið = I can go
• hún getur lesið = she can read
• við getum séð = we can see

So Getið þér sagt... is exactly what you should expect grammatically.

Because segja often takes the person being told in the dative case.

So:

• segja mér = tell me
• segja þér = tell you
• segja honum = tell him

In other words, Icelandic uses:

• segja einhverjum eitthvað
  = tell someone something

So in this sentence:

• sagt mér = tell me

Here, hvort is the correct choice because it introduces an indirect yes/no question:

• hvort brokkolíið sé ferskt = whether the broccoli is fresh

English often uses if for two different jobs:

1. if = whether
2. if = on condition that

Icelandic usually separates those more clearly:

• hvort = whether / if in an indirect question
• ef = if in a condition

So:

• Getið þér sagt mér hvort brokkolíið sé ferskt? = Can you tell me whether the broccoli is fresh?
• Ef brokkolíið er ferskt, kaupi ég það. = If the broccoli is fresh, I’ll buy it.

Sé is the present subjunctive of vera (to be).

It is used here because the clause after hvort expresses something being asked about, uncertain, or not presented as a fact:

• hvort brokkolíið sé ferskt = whether the broccoli is / be fresh

This is very common in standard Icelandic after words like hvort in indirect questions.

Compare:

• Brokkolíið er ferskt. = The broccoli is fresh.
  
  • direct statement, factual
• ...hvort brokkolíið sé ferskt. = ...whether the broccoli is fresh.
  
  • indirect question, uncertainty

You may sometimes hear er in casual speech, but sé is the safer and more standard form for learners here.

Because -ið is the definite article attached to the end of the noun.

So:

• brokkolí = broccoli
• brokkolíið = the broccoli

Icelandic usually puts the at the end of the noun rather than as a separate word.

This sentence is talking about specific broccoli, probably the broccoli being sold or displayed today, so the definite form makes sense.

Because Icelandic adjectives must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

The noun brokkolíið is:

• neuter
• singular
• nominative here

So the adjective ferskur (fresh) has to match that:

• masculine: ferskur
• feminine: fersk
• neuter: ferskt

That is why the sentence has:

• brokkolíið sé ferskt

not ferskur or fersk.

Because Icelandic changes word order depending on whether you are in a main clause or a subordinate clause.

In the main yes/no question, the finite verb comes first:

• Getið þér sagt mér ...?

But after hvort, you are inside a subordinate clause, and the neutral order is:

• hvort + subject + verb + complement
• hvort brokkolíið sé ferskt

So the sentence has:

• main clause: Getið þér sagt mér
• subordinate clause: hvort brokkolíið sé ferskt

That contrast is very normal in Icelandic.

It is grammatical and understandable, but it sounds polite/formal because of þér.

A more everyday version would usually be:

• Geturðu sagt mér hvort brokkolíið sé ferskt í dag?

Even more direct, especially in a shop, might be:

• Er brokkolíið ferskt í dag?

So the original sentence is fine, but it has a noticeably respectful tone.

Yes. Icelandic segja can correspond to both say and tell, depending on the structure.

For example:

• Hann sagði eitthvað. = He said something.
• Hann sagði mér eitthvað. = He told me something.

So in this sentence:

• sagt mér hvort... naturally means tell me whether...

That is why the best English translation uses tell, not just say.