Slit sjást hér.

Sjást is the -st form of sjá (to see), and here it means something like:

• be seen
• be visible
• show up / appear

So Slit sjást hér is not saying that someone is actively seeing something. It means that wear is visible here or signs of wear can be seen here.

The -st ending often gives Icelandic verbs a middle/passive-like meaning.

Because slit is treated as plural in this sentence.

Compare:

• sést = is seen / can be seen with a singular subject
• sjást = are seen / can be seen with a plural subject

So the verb agrees with slit.

Even if English might translate this with singular-looking wear, Icelandic is treating it as something plural-like here: signs of wear / wear marks.

In this sentence, it is functioning as plural, because the verb is plural: sjást.

A natural way to understand slit here is:

• wear
• signs of wear
• wear marks
• abrasion

English often uses an uncountable noun like wear, but Icelandic may use a form that behaves grammatically as plural in this kind of sentence.

It is in the nominative, because it is the grammatical subject of sjást.

Even though English translates this more like a passive idea (can be seen), Icelandic is not using an ordinary passive with an object turned into a subject. Instead, the -st form behaves as its own verb, and slit is simply the subject:

• Slit = subject
• sjást = are visible / can be seen
• hér = here

Because Icelandic sjást often naturally covers the idea of being visible, and in English that is very often expressed as can be seen.

So:

• Slit sjást hér literally is closer to Wear/signs of wear are visible here
• but idiomatic English often says Signs of wear can be seen here

So the idea of can is not a separate Icelandic word here; it comes from how this kind of sentence is normally expressed in English.

Icelandic often leaves nouns indefinite when speaking generally.

So slit here means something like:

• wear
• some wear
• signs of wear

If you wanted a definite meaning like the wear or the wear marks, Icelandic would usually mark that differently, depending on the noun form and context.

In this sentence, the lack of an article makes it sound general: wear is visible here.

Yes, Hér sjást slit is also correct.

Both are possible, but the emphasis is slightly different:

• Slit sjást hér = neutral statement with slit first
• Hér sjást slit = puts more focus on here

Icelandic main clauses follow verb-second word order, so if hér comes first, the finite verb comes next:

• Hér sjást slit

In your sentence, the subject comes first, so the verb is still in second position:

• Slit sjást hér

Hér means here.

It is very close in meaning to hérna, which also means here. In many contexts they are interchangeable.

A rough difference is:

• hér: a bit shorter, often feels slightly more neutral or written
• hérna: very common in speech, sometimes a bit more conversational

So in this sentence, hér is simply the adverb here.

It has a passive-like meaning, but grammatically it is better to think of it as using the -st form of the verb rather than a normal passive construction.

So instead of analyzing it like English is seen, it is often more helpful to learn sjást as a verb meaning:

• be seen
• be visible

That will make many Icelandic sentences feel more natural.