Ertu til í að tala aðeins íslensku með mér?

Ertu is the very common question form of ert þú.

• ert = are (2nd person singular of vera, to be)
• þú = you

In normal speech and writing, these often combine in questions:

• Ertu...? = Are you...?

So the full, less-contracted form behind it is Ert þú...?, but Ertu...? is what you will usually see.

Because this is a yes/no question.

Icelandic usually puts the finite verb first in this kind of question, just like English does in:

• Are you ready?
• Can you come?

So:

• Þú ert til í að tala... = You are up for speaking... (statement)
• Ertu til í að tala...? = Are you up for speaking...? (question)

Vera til í is an idiomatic expression meaning:

• to be willing to
• to feel like
• to be up for

So Ertu til í... means something like:

• Are you up for...?
• Would you be willing to...?

Important: this is different from plain vera til, which can mean exist or be available.

• Hann er til. = It exists / He is available.
• Hann er til í það. = He’s up for that.

So you should learn vera til í as a set phrase.

Because að tala is the infinitive: to speak.

After vera til í, if you want to name an action, Icelandic normally uses:

• vera til í að + infinitive

So:

• vera til í að tala = to be up for speaking
• literally, to be willing to speak

This að is very common before infinitives in Icelandic, although not every construction uses it.

Here aðeins means a little, a bit, or just a little.

So the speaker is not necessarily asking for a long conversation—just some Icelandic.

It also makes the request sound a little softer and less demanding.

Depending on context, aðeins can also mean only or just, so it is a flexible word. In this sentence, though, a little / a bit is the most natural interpretation.

Because íslenska is the dictionary form, but after tala it appears in the accusative:

• íslenska = nominative form
• íslensku = accusative form

In this sentence, íslensku is the thing being spoken, so it works like the direct object of tala.

This is very common with language names in Icelandic:

• tala ensku = speak English
• tala dönsku = speak Danish
• tala íslensku = speak Icelandic

So this is not random—you are seeing normal case inflection.

Yes. Both are possible, but they are structured a little differently.

• tala íslensku = speak Icelandic
• tala á íslensku = speak in Icelandic

The first treats Icelandic more like the language being spoken directly.
The second uses a prepositional phrase: in Icelandic.

Both are natural, but tala íslensku is very common and straightforward in sentences like this one.

Because pronouns change form after prepositions.

• ég = I
• mér = me / to me in the dative

The preposition með takes this form here, so:

• með mér = with me

Compare:

• með þér = with you
• með honum = with him
• með okkur = with us

So með ég would be ungrammatical.

Yes, it sounds natural, friendly, and everyday.

Ertu til í að... is a very common way to ask whether someone feels like doing something. It is not stiff or overly formal.

If you want to sound a little softer or more tentative, you could use the conditional:

• Værirðu til í að tala aðeins íslensku með mér?
• Would you be up for speaking a little Icelandic with me?

Also, modern Icelandic does not have a separate polite you like French vous or German Sie, so politeness is usually expressed through wording and tone rather than a special pronoun.

Not absolutely, but its position here is very natural.

• að tala aðeins íslensku sounds like to speak a little Icelandic

If you move aðeins, the emphasis can change. For example, placing it elsewhere might suggest:

• only with me
• just now
• only Icelandic

So the original placement is a good default if you want the meaning speak a bit of Icelandic.

A useful breakdown is:

• Ertu = Are you
• til í = up for / willing to
• að tala = to speak
• aðeins = a little / a bit
• íslensku = Icelandic
• með mér = with me

So the pattern is:

• [question verb + subject] + [idiom meaning willing/up for] + [að + infinitive] + [object] + [prepositional phrase]

A very useful chunk to memorize is:

• Ertu til í að...? = Are you up for...?
• Viltu...? = Do you want to...?
• Geturðu...? = Can you...?

That helps you build many similar sentences quickly.