Áður en hún fer út setur hún peysu á sig.

Before she goes out she puts on a sweater.

Breakdown of Áður en hún fer út setur hún peysu á sig.

• hún: she
• fara: to go
• áður en: before
• út: out
• peysan: the sweater
• setja á sig: to put on

Questions & Answers about Áður en hún fer út setur hún peysu á sig.

Why is the word order different in the two parts: “hún fer út” but “setur hún peysu á sig”?

This is because Icelandic treats main clauses and subordinate clauses differently, and it follows a verb‑second (V2) rule in main clauses.

• Áður en hún fer út = subordinate clause (introduced by áður en “before”)

  • Normal order: subject – verb – rest
  • So: hún fer út = she goes out

• setur hún peysu á sig = main clause

  • Icelandic main clauses are typically V2: the finite verb is in second position.
  • If the sentence starts with something that is not the subject (here: the whole time clause Áður en hún fer út), the subject moves after the verb:
    • Neutral main clause: Hún setur peysu á sig.
    • With the time clause in front: Áður en hún fer út setur hún peysu á sig.

So:

• Subordinate clause: áður en + subject + verb + …
• Main clause after a fronted element: [something] + verb + subject + …

Why is it fer and not fara or að fara?

Fara is the infinitive “to go”.
In the sentence you need a finite, conjugated verb in the 3rd person singular present.

The verb að fara (to go) in the present tense:

• ég fer – I go
• þú ferð – you go (singular)
• hann / hún / það fer – he / she / it goes
• við förum – we go
• þið farið – you go (plural)
• þeir / þær / þau fara – they go

So for hún (she), the correct form is fer:

• hún fer út = she goes out

You only use fara (infinitive) after another verb that requires it, like:

• hún vill fara út – she wants to go out
• hún ætlar að fara út – she is going to go out

What is the difference between út and úti, and why is it út here?

Both relate to “out / outside”, but they differ in motion vs. location, similar to “in” vs. “into” or “out” vs. “outside” in English.

• út = motion to the outside (direction)

  • hún fer út – she goes out
  • hann hleypur út – he runs out

• úti = being outside (location)

  • hún er úti – she is outside
  • börnin eru úti – the children are outside

In the sentence, she is going out, so it must be út (movement), not úti (state/location).

Why is it peysu and not peysa?

Peysa (“sweater, cardigan”) is a feminine noun. In this sentence, it is the direct object of setur (“puts”), so it takes the accusative singular form.

Declension of peysa (a‑type feminine):

• Nominative singular (subject): peysa
  • Peysan er blá. – The sweater is blue.
• Accusative singular (direct object): peysu
  • Hún setur peysu á sig. – She puts on a sweater.
• Dative/genitive have other forms, but here we only need accusative.

So:

• Who puts? – hún (subject, nominative)
• Puts what? – peysu (object, accusative)

What exactly does “setur peysu á sig” mean literally, and how does this construction work?

Literally, setur peysu á sig is:

• setur – puts
• peysu – a sweater (accusative object)
• á – on / onto
• sig – herself (reflexive pronoun)

So the structure is:

setja + [clothing, accusative] + á sig
= to put [clothing] on oneself

Some similar examples:

• Hann setur húfu á sig. – He puts a hat on.
• Ég set jakka á mig. – I put a jacket on.
• Við settum skóna á okkur. – We put our shoes on.

This pattern is very common for getting dressed / putting clothes on.

Why is it á sig and not á hana or á henni?

Sig is the 3rd‑person reflexive pronoun. It refers back to the subject of the same clause.

In the main clause:

• Subject: hún
• Reflexive pronoun: sig (herself)

Forms of the 3rd‑person pronouns vs. reflexive:

• Non‑reflexive (refers to someone else):
  • hana – her (accusative)
  • henni – to her / for her (dative)
• Reflexive (refers back to the subject):
  • sig – himself / herself / themselves (accusative or dative, depending on preposition/verb)

With á here, you use accusative, so:

• á sig – on herself (referring to hún)
• á hana – on her (some other woman, not the subject)
• á henni – on her (but with á in a different sense; e.g. “depends on her”: það veltur á henni)

So:

• Hún setur peysu á sig. – She puts a sweater on herself.
• Hún setur peysu á hana. – She puts a sweater on her (on another woman).

In your sentence, it is clearly about dressing herself, so á sig is correct.

Can I leave out sig and just say “Hún setur peysu á”?

No, sig is necessary here.

Á is a preposition that needs a complement (something that answers “on whom/what?”):

• á borðið – on the table
• á sig – on herself
• á hann – on him
• á stólinn – on the chair

If you say only Hún setur peysu á, it sounds incomplete/incorrect, like “She puts a sweater on …” and then you stop. You must say what or whom it is being put on:

• Hún setur peysu á sig.
• Hún setur peysu á stólinn. – She puts the sweater on the chair.

So sig cannot be dropped in this construction.

Is “áður en” always followed directly by a verb, or can I say “áður en að hún fer út”?

In modern Icelandic, the usual and most natural pattern is:

• áður en + finite clause
  • Áður en hún fer út…
  • Áður en við byrjum…

Many speakers avoid inserting að here. You will see áður en að in some writing or speech, but it is often considered unnecessary or less standard in current usage.

So for everyday modern Icelandic, prefer:

• Áður en hún fer út setur hún peysu á sig.

rather than:

• ?Áður en að hún fer út setur hún peysu á sig. (understood, but stylistically weaker)

Can I change the word order, for example: “Hún setur peysu á sig áður en hún fer út”?

Yes. Icelandic word order is relatively flexible, as long as you respect the main rules (like V2 in main clauses).

All of these are natural:

1. Áður en hún fer út setur hún peysu á sig.
   – “Before she goes out, she puts a sweater on.”

2. Hún setur peysu á sig áður en hún fer út.
   – Same meaning, just the time clause at the end.

3. Hún setur, áður en hún fer út, peysu á sig.
   – Also possible; the time clause is inserted in the middle, a bit more “written” or careful style.

But don’t break the V2 rule in the main clause. For example:

• Áður en hún fer út hún setur peysu á sig. ❌
  (wrong in standard Icelandic, because setur should be in second position in that main clause)

How do you pronounce Áður en hún fer út setur hún peysu á sig?

Approximate pronunciation (in a simple English‑like transcription):

• Áður – OW-thur
  
  • Á like English ow in now (but longer)
  • ð like the th in this (voiced)
• en – en (like en in ten)
• hún – hoon (long oo as in food)
• fer – fer (like English fair, but shorter)
• út – oot (long oo; t clearly pronounced)
• setur – SEH-tur
  • stress on SE
• peysu – PAY-suh
  • ey like English ay in day
• á – again ow in now (long)
• sig – roughly sihg, with a short i, g often softened (between g and k for many speakers)

Main stress in Icelandic is almost always on the first syllable of each word:

• Áður, hún, fer, út, SEtur, PEYsu, á, sig.

Does sig always refer to the subject of the closest clause?

Yes. In Icelandic, the reflexive pronoun sig (and its other forms sín, sér) always refers back to the subject of its own clause, not to a subject in some other clause.

In your sentence:

• Subordinate clause: Áður en hún fer út – subject: hún
• Main clause: setur hún peysu á sig – subject: hún, reflexive: sig

Here sig refers to the subject of the main clause (hún in setur hún peysu á sig).

If the subject changed, sig would then refer to that new subject, not the old one. For example:

• Áður en Jón fer út setur María peysu á sig.
  – Before Jón goes out, María puts a sweater on herself (María, not Jón).

So sig is always tied to its own clause’s subject, not to someone else mentioned nearby.