Hún setur ruslapokann út áður en pósturinn kemur.

She puts the trash bag outside before the mail arrives.

Breakdown of Hún setur ruslapokann út áður en pósturinn kemur.

• hún: she
• setja: to put
• áður en: before
• út: outside
• koma: to arrive
• ruslapokinn: the trash bag
• pósturinn: the mail

Questions & Answers about Hún setur ruslapokann út áður en pósturinn kemur.

Why is ruslapokann ending in -ann?

Because it’s definite and in the accusative singular.

• ruslapoki = (a) trash bag (masculine noun)
• Accusative singular (indefinite): ruslapoka
• Accusative singular (definite): ruslapokann = the trash bag
  It’s accusative because it’s the direct object of setur (puts).

What’s the base form of ruslapokann, and how is the word built?

The dictionary form is ruslapoki. It’s a compound:

• rusl = trash / rubbish
• poki = bag
  So ruslapoki literally means trash-bag.

Why does the sentence use setur (not setja)?

setja is the infinitive (to put).
setur is the present tense, 3rd person singular form, matching hún (she):

• ég set
• þú setur
• hún/það/þetta setur
• við setjum
• þið setjið
• þeir/þær/þau setja

Is the present tense here more like “she puts” or “she is putting”?

It can cover both. Icelandic doesn’t require a special progressive form the way English does.
Depending on context, Hún setur ruslapokann út... can mean:

• a habit/routine: She puts the trash bag out...
• something happening now: She is putting the trash bag out...
• a near-future action (especially with a time clause): She puts / will put it out before...

Why is út at the end, and can it move?

út is a particle/adverb meaning out/outside, and Icelandic often places it after a full noun object:

• Hún setur ruslapokann út. (very natural)

With a pronoun object, the particle usually comes after the pronoun:

• Hún setur hann út. = She puts it out.

You may also see út earlier for emphasis or style, but object + út is extremely common with a full noun object.

Does setja ... út mean literally “put outside,” or can it mean something else?

In this context it’s literal: put the trash bag outside (e.g., for pickup).
But setja út can also have other meanings depending on context, such as to criticize / find fault with. The object (trash bag) makes the literal meaning clear here.

What grammar is happening in áður en pósturinn kemur?

áður en means before and introduces a subordinate clause.
A key point: Icelandic main clauses are typically V2 (the verb comes early), but subordinate clauses introduced by en use more “straight” order:

• main clause: Hún setur ...
• subordinate clause: ... áður en pósturinn kemur (subject pósturinn before verb kemur)

Why is it pósturinn (with -urinn)?

That’s the definite form of póstur in the nominative singular:

• póstur = post / mail / (sometimes) the mail delivery / (sometimes) the postman (depending on context)
• pósturinn = the post / the mail delivery / the postman

It’s nominative because it’s the subject of kemur (comes).

Does pósturinn mean “the postman” or “the mail”?

It can be either depending on context and dialect/habit. In everyday speech, pósturinn kemur is commonly understood as the mail comes / the post arrives / the postman comes.
If you want to be extra explicit, you might see:

• póstmaðurinn = the postman
• póstsendingin = the (mail) delivery/item
• póstburðurinn = the mail delivery round/service

Why is there no comma before áður en?

In Icelandic, you generally don’t put a comma just because English would. Commas are used more sparingly and by different rules.
So Hún setur ruslapokann út áður en pósturinn kemur. is normal without a comma.

How do you pronounce some tricky parts (roughly)?

A few common stumbling blocks:

• Hún: like “hoon” (long ú).
• áður: first syllable stressed: ÁÐ-ur; ð is a soft sound (often like the th in this, though it may be very light).
• pósturinn: stress on póst-; the ó is long.
• ruslapokann: stress on RUSL- (first part of the compound).

Could I say Hún setur ruslapoka út... without -nn?

Yes, but it changes the meaning.

• ruslapokann = the trash bag (a specific one)
• ruslapoka = a trash bag (not specified)

So Hún setur ruslapoka út... would be She puts a trash bag out before the post comes, implying it’s not a particular, already-known bag.