Starfsmaðurinn varð óvinnufær vegna meiðslanna.

The ending -inn is the definite article, attached to the noun.

So:

• starfsmaður = an employee / employee
• starfsmaðurinn = the employee

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

In this sentence, starfsmaðurinn is in the nominative singular masculine, because it is the subject of the sentence.

Varð is the past tense of verða, which often means become.

So:

• verða = to become
• varð = became

In this sentence, Starfsmaðurinn varð óvinnufær means The employee became unable to work.

This verb is very common in Icelandic, and it is irregular, so its forms need to be learned separately.

Icelandic often expresses ideas with a single compound adjective where English might use a whole phrase.

Óvinnufær can be broken down like this:

• ó- = a negative prefix, like un- or in- in English
• vinnu- = related to work
• -fær = capable, fit, able

So óvinnufær literally means something like un-work-capable, or more naturally unable to work / unfit for work.

This kind of compound word formation is very common in Icelandic.

Yes. Adjectives in Icelandic usually agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here, starfsmaðurinn is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

So óvinnufær is also in the masculine singular nominative form.

In some other contexts, the adjective would change. For example, with a feminine or plural noun, the ending might be different.

Vegna means because of.

It is a preposition, and an important thing to remember is that vegna takes the genitive case.

So in this sentence:

• vegna = because of
• meiðslanna = genitive form required by vegna

This is a very common Icelandic pattern:

• vegna + genitive

Because vegna requires the genitive case, and meiðslanna is the genitive plural definite form of meiðsli.

Breaking it down:

• meiðsli = injuries
• meiðslin = the injuries
• meiðslanna = of the injuries

So vegna meiðslanna literally means because of the injuries.

Even though English just says because of the injuries, Icelandic shows this relationship through the genitive form.

In Icelandic, meiðsli is very often used as a plural noun, much like English injuries.

So even when English might sometimes say an injury, Icelandic may naturally use the plural meiðsli, especially in formal or medical-style contexts.

There are related singular words, but in everyday usage meiðsli as a plural noun is extremely common for physical injuries.

So vegna meiðslanna is a very natural way to say because of the injuries.

Because var and varð express different ideas.

• var is from vera = to be
• varð is from verða = to become

Compare:

• Starfsmaðurinn var óvinnufær = The employee was unable to work
• Starfsmaðurinn varð óvinnufær = The employee became unable to work

So varð emphasizes a change of state.

The sentence follows a very straightforward order:

• Starfsmaðurinn = subject
• varð = verb
• óvinnufær = subject complement
• vegna meiðslanna = prepositional phrase explaining the cause

So the structure is roughly:

The employee became unable to work because of the injuries.

This is quite close to normal English word order, which makes the sentence relatively easy to follow.

It can match either one depending on context.

• because of the injuries
• due to the injuries

Both are good English equivalents.

In Icelandic, vegna is a common neutral way to express cause. It can sound fairly everyday, but it also works well in formal language, such as reports, workplace language, or medical contexts.

If you remove the definite article from both nouns, you get a more indefinite meaning:

• Starfsmaður varð óvinnufær vegna meiðsla.

That would mean something like:

• An employee became unable to work because of injuries
• or An employee became unfit for work due to injuries

Compare:

• starfsmaðurinn = the employee
• meiðslanna = the injuries
• starfsmaður = an employee / employee
• meiðsla = injuries in the genitive plural indefinite

So the original sentence is specifically about the employee and the injuries.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• starfsmaðurinn ≈ STARFS-math-ur-inn
• varð ≈ varth
• óvinnufær ≈ OH-vin-nu-fighr
• vegna meiðslanna ≈ VEG-na mayths-lan-na

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• ð is like the th in this, though at the end of a word it can sound weaker or shift depending on context.
• æ is pronounced somewhat like eye.
• ei in meiðslanna is usually pronounced like ay in day.

Exact pronunciation varies a bit, but those approximations can help you get started.