Ég get fylgst með söguþræðinum.

Yes, it looks familiar, but Icelandic geta often means can / be able to.

In this sentence:

• Ég = I
• get = can / am able to

So Ég get ... means I can ...

This is the 1st person singular present form of geta:

• ég get = I can
• þú getur = you can
• hann/hún/það getur = he/she/it can

So although it resembles English get, here its function is closer to English can.

Because after geta in this meaning, Icelandic normally uses the supine form of the next verb, not the infinitive.

The dictionary form is:

• fylgjast með = to follow, keep track of, keep up with

But after get, it becomes:

• Ég get fylgst með ...

So:

• fylgjast = infinitive
• fylgst = supine

This is a very common pattern with geta:

• Ég get lesið. = I can read.
• Ég get farið. = I can go.
• Ég get fylgst með söguþræðinum. = I can follow the plot.

Also, fylgjast is a verb that already includes -st as part of its form. That -st is not a separate word.

Fylgjast með means something like:

• follow
• keep track of
• keep up with
• watch/observe attentively

In this sentence, it means to follow the plot in the sense of understanding what is going on in a story, film, or show.

So this is not really about physically following something with your feet. It is about mentally keeping up with it.

Með does literally mean with in many contexts, but here it is best treated as part of the fixed expression fylgjast með.

So you should learn the whole unit:

• fylgjast með e-u = follow / keep up with something

You usually should not translate it word for word. In English, follow the plot has no with, but Icelandic uses the preposition með as part of the verb phrase.

This is very common in Icelandic: a verb and a preposition go together, and the meaning belongs to the whole expression.

Because the noun is not in the basic dictionary form here.

The dictionary form is:

• söguþráður = plot, storyline

But after með in fylgjast með, the noun goes into the dative case. So the form changes.

Here you have:

• söguþræðinum = the plot, in dative singular definite

So the sentence uses the form required by the preposition and the expression fylgjast með.

In Icelandic, the is usually not a separate word. It is attached to the end of the noun.

So:

• söguþráður = a plot / plot
• söguþræðinum = the plot, in a dative singular form

That final part of the word carries the definite meaning. So instead of a separate word like English the, Icelandic often adds an ending.

There are two things happening at once:

1. Case change

   • The noun has to be in the dative after með here.

2. Definite form

   • The sentence means the plot, so the definite article is added to the noun.

Also, Icelandic nouns often change their stem in different cases. So the word does not just add a simple ending; the inside of the word may change too.

A useful way to think of it is:

• söguþráður = nominative singular, dictionary form
• söguþræði = dative singular, indefinite
• söguþræðinum = dative singular, definite

This kind of stem change is normal in Icelandic and is something learners gradually get used to.

No. After geta, you do not use að before the next verb.

So you say:

• Ég get fylgst með söguþræðinum.

Not:

• Ég get að fylgjast með söguþræðinum.

This is an important pattern to memorize. Some Icelandic verbs do take að before an infinitive, but geta does not work that way in this construction.

This is a very useful distinction.

• fylgja usually means follow, go with, or accompany
• fylgjast með means follow/keep track of/watch attentively

So if you are talking about understanding a story, news, a discussion, or a plot, fylgjast með is usually the right choice.

For example:

• Ég fylgist með fréttunum. = I follow the news.
• Ég get fylgst með söguþræðinum. = I can follow the plot.

Using fylgja here would sound different and would usually not be the idiomatic way to say follow the plot.

A speaker would use this when they want to say they are able to keep up with the story in a film, series, play, or book.

For example:

• when the language is difficult, but the story is still understandable
• when subtitles help
• when a film is complex, but not too complex
• when someone asks whether you understand what is happening

Typical sense:

• I can follow what’s going on in the story.
• I can keep up with the storyline.

So it is a very natural sentence in contexts involving movies, TV, books, or storytelling.