Við notum hleðslurampinn eftir því hvort kassinn er þungur.

Við notum means we use.

• við = we
• notum = use

In Icelandic, subject pronouns like við are often included, especially in neutral, clear statements. Since the verb form notum already shows we, Icelandic can sometimes omit the pronoun in context, but keeping við is very common and natural.

The base verb is að nota, meaning to use.

notum is:

• present tense
• 1st person plural
• so: we use

A quick mini-pattern:

• ég nota = I use
• þú notar = you use
• við notum = we use

Hleðslurampinn means the loading ramp, while hleðslurampur means a loading ramp.

Icelandic usually adds the definite article onto the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

So:

• hleðslurampur = a loading ramp
• hleðslurampinn = the loading ramp

This is one of the most important features of Icelandic nouns.

It is in the accusative singular definite form.

That is because að nota normally takes a direct object, and direct objects are often in the accusative in Icelandic.

So in this sentence:

• Við notum hleðslurampinn = We use the loading ramp

Here, hleðslurampinn is the thing being used, so it appears as the direct object.

This is a fixed expression meaning something like:

• depending on whether
• according to whether

It is not best understood word-for-word in English.

Parts:

• eftir því often means depending on that / according to that
• hvort means whether

Together, eftir því hvort ... introduces a condition or criterion:

• depending on whether ...

So:

• Við notum hleðslurampinn eftir því hvort kassinn er þungur.
• We use the loading ramp depending on whether the box is heavy.

Því is the dative form of það (that / it), but in this sentence it is part of the set phrase eftir því hvort.

So even though því by itself has a grammatical meaning, here it is best learned as part of the whole expression:

• eftir því hvort = depending on whether

This is common in Icelandic: some combinations are easiest to learn as chunks rather than trying to translate every word literally.

Hvort means whether.

It introduces an indirect yes/no question, not a direct question.

Compare:

• Direct question: Er kassinn þungur? = Is the box heavy?
• Indirect question: hvort kassinn er þungur = whether the box is heavy

Notice the word order difference:

• direct question: er kassinn ...
• indirect clause: kassinn er ...

That is why the sentence says hvort kassinn er þungur, not hvort er kassinn þungur.

Kassinn means the box.

It comes from:

• kassi = box
• kassinn = the box

Here it is the subject of the subordinate clause hvort kassinn er þungur.

Because it is the subject, it appears in the nominative.

So:

• kassinn = the box (subject form)

Þungur is the form that agrees with kassinn.

In Icelandic, adjectives change form to match the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• kassinn is masculine
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective must also be:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

That gives:

• þungur = heavy

This is because þungur is a predicate adjective after the verb er (is), and predicate adjectives agree with the subject.

Because hvort kassinn er þungur is an indirect question, not a direct one.

In Icelandic:

• Direct questions often have verb-first order.
• Indirect questions usually keep normal statement word order.

So:

• Er kassinn þungur? = Is the box heavy?
• ... hvort kassinn er þungur = ... whether the box is heavy

This is very similar to English:

• direct: Is the box heavy?
• indirect: whether the box is heavy

Not really. If you translate each word too literally, it may sound strange in English.

It is better to understand the whole phrase idiomatically:

• eftir því hvort ... = depending on whether ...

That is often the best strategy in Icelandic with expressions involving prepositions and pronouns.

Then you would probably use kassi instead of kassinn.

For example:

• Við notum hleðslurampinn eftir því hvort kassi er þungur.

However, in many real contexts Icelandic would often prefer a slightly more natural phrasing depending on what exactly is meant. In your original sentence, kassinn suggests a specific box already known in the conversation: the box.

So the original is natural if both speaker and listener know which box is being talked about.

Two special Icelandic letters appear here:

• þ in því and þungur
• ð in við and hleðslu-? No, mainly við here

Basic pronunciation guide:

• þ is like the th in thing
• ð is like the th in this

So roughly:

• við sounds like vith with the voiced th
• því starts with the th of thin
• þungur also starts with that same unvoiced th

These are only rough English approximations, but they are a good start.

The sentence has two main parts:

1. Við notum hleðslurampinn

   • We use the loading ramp

2. eftir því hvort kassinn er þungur

   • depending on whether the box is heavy

So the structure is:

• main clause
  • expression of condition/criterion

You can think of it as:

• We use the loading ramp depending on whether the box is heavy.

That makes the grammar easier to follow:

• first, the action
• then, the condition that affects that action