Eftir því hvort spegillinn er viðkvæmur pökkum við honum inn.

Depending on whether the mirror is fragile, we wrap it.

Breakdown of Eftir því hvort spegillinn er viðkvæmur pökkum við honum inn.

• vera: to be
• við: we
• spegillinn: the mirror
• honum: it

Questions & Answers about Eftir því hvort spegillinn er viðkvæmur pökkum við honum inn.

What does Eftir því hvort mean as a whole?

It is an idiomatic expression meaning depending on whether.

• eftir því can mean according to that or depending on that
• hvort means whether

So Eftir því hvort spegillinn er viðkvæmur means depending on whether the mirror is fragile.

Why is við placed after pökkum instead of before it?

This is because Icelandic follows the verb-second rule in main clauses.

In this sentence, the long adverbial phrase Eftir því hvort spegillinn er viðkvæmur comes first. When something other than the subject comes first, the finite verb must come next, and the subject comes after that:

• Eftir því hvort spegillinn er viðkvæmur = first element
• pökkum = finite verb
• við = subject

A more neutral word order would be:

Við pökkum honum inn eftir því hvort spegillinn er viðkvæmur.

Why is it honum and not hann or það?