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Hún var að vinna í heilsdagsstarfi en valdi fimm klukkutíma hlutastarf.

Hún var að vinna í heilsdagsstarfi en valdi fimm klukkutíma hlutastarf.
She was working full-time but chose a five-hour part-time job.
From Lesson 295:Genitive measure phrases·Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Hún var að vinna í heilsdagsstarfi en valdi fimm klukkutíma hlutastarf.

How does the phrase fimm klukkutíma hlutastarf work grammatically?
It uses a genitive measure phrase. klukkutíma is the genitive plural of klukkutími (hour). In Icelandic, instead of using an adjective like 'five-hour', you literally say 'a part-time job of five hours'. Because it measures or describes the noun hlutastarf, it must be in the genitive case.
Does the number fimm change its form to match the genitive case?
No. In Icelandic, only the numbers one through four change their endings to match the case of the noun. Numbers from five onwards, like fimm, do not decline. If the number had been 'three', it would be þriggja klukkutíma hlutastarf (using the genitive form of three).
Why is heilsdagsstarfi in the dative case, but hlutastarf is in the accusative?
They are governed by different things. The preposition í takes the dative case when describing a stationary state or condition, like being employed in a job (í heilsdagsstarfi). However, hlutastarf is the direct object of the verb valdi (chose), and the verb velja requires its object to be in the accusative case.
Why does the sentence use var að vinna for the first action, but just valdi for the second?
Var að vinna uses the continuous form (vera að + infinitive) to show an ongoing, background situation ('was working'). Valdi is the simple past tense of velja (to choose). It is used here because choosing the new job was a single, completed event.
How is the compound word heilsdagsstarfi constructed?
It is made of heill (whole), dagur (day), and starf (job). Notice how the first two parts take the genitive case (heils and dags) to link them together, literally translating to 'a whole day's job'. The final part, starfi, is the dative form of starf because of the preposition í.

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