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Þær talast ekki við en þær eru kurteisar.

Þær talast ekki við en þær eru kurteisar.
They do not speak to each other, but they are polite.
From Lesson 154:Reciprocal actions (-st)·Icelandic

Breakdown of Þær talast ekki við en þær eru kurteisar.

vera
to be
en
but
ekki
not
þær
they (f)
kurteis
polite
talast við
to speak to each other

Questions & Answers about Þær talast ekki við en þær eru kurteisar.

How does talast við mean "speak to each other"?
The regular verb phrase is tala við (to speak to/with). By adding the -st ending to make it middle voice, the action becomes reciprocal. Instead of one person speaking to another, the -st ending shows they are doing it to each other.
Why is ekki placed between talast and við?
Við is a preposition working closely with the verb here. In Icelandic, adverbs like ekki (not) normally come right after the conjugated verb, but before any prepositions or particles attached to it. That's why it interrupts the phrase, giving us talast ekki við.
Why are we using Þær for "they", and why does the adjective have an -ar ending?
Þær is the feminine plural form of "they", meaning this sentence specifically refers to a group of females (or grammatically feminine nouns). The adjective kurteis (polite) must agree with this subject, so it takes the feminine plural ending to become kurteisar.
How would this sentence change if "they" referred to a mixed group of men and women?
You would use the neuter plural pronoun þau. The adjective would also have to change to match the neuter plural form (which just looks like the base dictionary form for this word). The sentence would become: Þau talast ekki við en þau eru kurteis.

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