Breakdown of Við hlustum á ræður ráðherranna.
við
we
hlusta
to listen
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
ræðan
the speech
Questions & Answers about Við hlustum á ræður ráðherranna.
How do we get the form ráðherranna?
Why is ræður in the accusative case?
The verb hlusta (to listen) is paired with the preposition á (to/on), and this specific combination (hlusta á) forces the noun that follows it into the accusative case. Here, ræður is the accusative plural of the feminine noun ræða (speech).
Why doesn't ræður have the definite article, since the English translation says "the speeches"?
In Icelandic, when a noun is followed by a possessive word in the genitive case (like ráðherranna), the first noun usually drops its definite article. Even though we mean "the speeches of the ministers", Icelandic phrases it simply as ræður ráðherranna (literally "speeches of the ministers").
How is the word ráðherra built?
It is a compound noun made from ráð (advice, counsel, or council) and herra (lord or master). So, an Icelandic minister is literally an "advice master" or "council lord"!