Hundurinn hljóp burt.

Hundurinn means the dog, while hundur means a dog or just dog in a general sense.

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

• hundur = dog
• hundurinn = the dog

So in this sentence, -inn is the built-in definite article.

Hundurinn is in the nominative singular because it is the subject of the sentence — the one doing the action.

The basic dictionary form is:

• hundur = dog

In the nominative singular with the definite article, it becomes:

• hundurinn = the dog

The verb hljóp tells us what the subject did, so the subject stays in the nominative here.

Hljóp is the past tense of the verb að hlaupa, which means to run.

So:

• að hlaupa = to run
• hljóp = ran

That means the sentence is talking about something that already happened.

Because að hlaupa is a strong verb, and strong verbs often change their vowel in the past tense instead of just adding an ending.

Here are some useful forms:

• að hlaupa = to run
• hleypur = runs
• hljóp = ran
• hlaupið = run (past participle)

So the change from hlaupa to hljóp is irregular from an English learner’s point of view, but it is a normal strong-verb pattern in Icelandic.

Burt means something like away.

In this sentence, hljóp burt means ran away.

It often suggests movement away from a place, person, or situation. It is a very common word in Icelandic.

Examples:

• Hann fór burt. = He went away.
• Barnið hljóp burt. = The child ran away.

That is the normal placement here. In Hundurinn hljóp burt, the verb comes first after the subject, and burt follows it.

A very natural basic Icelandic sentence pattern is:

• subject + verb + adverb/direction

So:

• Hundurinn = the dog
• hljóp = ran
• burt = away

This gives a standard, natural word order.

Yes. Icelandic word order is flexible, though some versions sound more marked or more literary than others.

For example, you could also say:

• Burt hljóp hundurinn.

This puts extra focus on burt. It is less neutral than Hundurinn hljóp burt, which is the most straightforward everyday order.

So learners should usually start with:

• Hundurinn hljóp burt.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

• hundurinn ≈ HUN-du-rin

But this is only approximate.

A few things to notice:

• The u in Icelandic does not sound exactly like English u.
• The r is usually trilled or tapped, not like a typical English r.
• The stress is on the first syllable: HUN-

So even if the rough guide helps, it is best to listen to native audio if possible.

This word can be tricky.

A rough guide is:

• hljóp ≈ lyohp or hlyohp

Important points:

• The hj/hlj type of cluster is unusual for English speakers.
• The ó is a long vowel, roughly like o in go, but not exactly the same.
• The p at the end is clearly pronounced.

The best strategy is to learn it as a whole word by listening and repeating, rather than trying to map each letter directly to English sounds.

It is similar in meaning to the English phrasal verb run away, but grammatically it is not exactly the same kind of structure.

In Icelandic:

• hljóp is the verb
• burt is an adverb meaning away

So it behaves more like ran away as verb + adverb of direction.

For a learner, it is perfectly fine to remember:

• hlaupa burt = run away

No, not if you mean ran away.

The verb for to run is að hlaupa, so the past tense is hljóp.

The verb að renna means things like to slide, to flow, or to glide, so rann would be the past tense of that verb, not of to run.

So:

• Hundurinn hljóp burt. = The dog ran away.
• Hundurinn rann burt. would suggest something like the dog slid away, which is usually not what you mean.

Yes. Hundurinn hljóp burt. is a complete, natural, idiomatic sentence.

It has everything it needs:

• Hundurinn = subject
• hljóp = finite verb
• burt = adverb giving the direction/result

It sounds like a normal, simple statement in Icelandic.