Questions & Answers about Pappírinn fer svo í endurvinnslu, ekki í ruslið.
Why does pappír become pappírinn?
-inn is the suffixed definite article for masculine singular nouns in Icelandic.
- pappír = paper (indefinite)
- pappírinn = the paper (definite)
Here it’s treated as a specific category/item: the paper (i.e., the paper waste).
What grammar is going on in fer?
fer is the 3rd person singular present tense of fara (að fara) = to go.
- (hann/hún/það) fer = he/she/it goes
So Pappírinn fer ... is literally The paper goes ..., but it’s a very common Icelandic way to express where something is put/sent (similar to English It goes in recycling).
What does svo mean here, and where does it go in the sentence?
svo is an adverb that often means then/after that/so depending on context. Here it’s like then/next.
Placement-wise, adverbs like svo often come right after the verb (or after the subject + verb), and Pappírinn fer svo ... is a natural rhythm: The paper then goes ...
Why is it í endurvinnslu—what case is that, and why?