Breakdown of Við erum að tala um hvað starfsráðgjafinn sagði áðan.
vera
to be
við
we
tala
to speak
hvað
what
að
to (infinitive marker)
áðan
earlier
um
about
segja
to say
starfsráðgjafinn
the career counselor
Questions & Answers about Við erum að tala um hvað starfsráðgjafinn sagði áðan.
Why is there no það after the preposition um here?
In Icelandic, prepositions usually need a dummy pronoun like það before a full clause (for example, tala um það að...). However, when the clause starts with a question word like hvað, the dummy það is dropped. That is why it is just tala um hvað instead of tala um það hvað.
Why is the verb sagði at the end of the clause instead of right after hvað?
Because this is an indirect question. In a direct question, the verb comes immediately after the question word (Hvað sagði starfsráðgjafinn?). In an indirect question like this one, the subject (starfsráðgjafinn) comes before the verb (sagði).
Could I use fyrr instead of áðan for 'earlier'?
Not quite without changing the meaning. Áðan specifically means 'earlier today' or 'just a little while ago'. Fyrr is a more general 'earlier' or 'before' that can refer to days, months, or years ago. Since this was a recent conversation, áðan is the most natural choice.
How is the word starfsráðgjafinn built?
It is a compound noun made of three parts: starfs (the genitive form of starf, meaning job or work), ráð (advice), and gjafi (giver), plus the definite article -nn. Literally, it translates to 'the job advice giver'.
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