Ég set glerið í einn kassa og plastið í annan.

I put the glass in one box and the plastic in another.

Breakdown of Ég set glerið í einn kassa og plastið í annan.

• ég: I
• setja: to put
• í: in
• og: and
• annar: another
• kassinn: the box
• einn: one
• glerið: the glass
• plastið: the plastic

Questions & Answers about Ég set glerið í einn kassa og plastið í annan.

Why is it Ég set and not Ég setti?

Set is the present tense (I put / I am putting).
Setti is the past tense (I put / I placed).
So Ég set glerið... describes a present-time action or a habitual instruction-like statement.

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What does the verb setja look like in the dictionary, and what are its main forms?

The dictionary form is setja (to put / to place / to set).
Common forms you’ll meet:

• að setja = to put
• ég set = I put (present)
• ég setti = I put (past)
• ég hef sett = I have put (past participle sett)

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Why do glerið and plastið have -ið on the end?

That -ið is the definite article attached to the noun (like the in English):

• gler = glass
• glerið = the glass
• plast = plastic
• plastið = the plastic

In Icelandic, the is usually expressed as a suffix, not a separate word.

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Are gler and plast really “countable” here? Why use the definite form?

They’re often treated as materials/substances, but Icelandic can still use the definite form to mean the (relevant) glass/plastic in context—e.g., “the glass (waste)” and “the plastic (waste)” you’re sorting right now.

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What case are glerið and plastið in, and how can I tell?

They are the direct objects of set (what you put), so they are in the accusative.
For many neuter nouns like gler and plast, nominative and accusative look the same, so you often tell by function (object of the verb) rather than by a visible ending change.

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Why is it í einn kassa (not í einum kassa)?

Because í changes meaning depending on case:

• í + accusative = movement into (destination)
• í + dative = location in/inside (no movement)

Here you are putting something into a box (movement), so you use accusative:
í einn kassa = into one box
(einum would be dative and would fit better with “it is in one box”.)

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Why is it einn kassa—what case and gender is that?

kassi (box) is masculine. After í with motion, you need accusative:

• einn = masculine accusative singular of einn (one)
• kassa = accusative singular of kassi

So í einn kassa is literally “into one (masculine accusative) box”.

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Why does the second part say í annan instead of í einn annan kassa?

Annan means another. Icelandic often omits the noun when it’s obvious:

• í einn kassa = into one box
• í annan (kassa) = into another (box)

So kassa is simply understood after annan.

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Why is it annan and not öðrum or aðra?

It must agree with the implied noun kassa:

• gender: masculine
• number: singular
• case: accusative (because of motion with í)

Masculine accusative singular of annar is annan.
Forms like öðrum (dative plural/masc/neut) or aðra (feminine accusative/plural) don’t match.

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Can I change the word order, like putting the places first?

Yes, within limits. Icelandic is fairly flexible, but you typically keep the verb early:

• Standard: Ég set glerið í einn kassa og plastið í annan.
• Emphasis on destinations: Í einn kassa set ég glerið og í annan plastið. (more marked/emphatic)

The “neutral” version is the one you were given.

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Do I have to say Ég, or can I drop the subject like in Spanish?

You normally do not drop the subject pronoun in Icelandic.
You can omit ég in some contexts (imperatives, informal notes, or when the subject is clear), but in normal full sentences you say Ég set....

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How is this sentence pronounced (roughly)?

A helpful rough guide (approximate; dialects vary):

• Ég ~ “yeh(g)” (the g is often soft)
• set ~ “set”
• glerið ~ “GLEH-ri(th)” (final ð is like “th” in this)
• í ~ “ee” (long)
• einn ~ “ate-n” / “ein” (often sounds like “ein” with a slight nn)
• kassa ~ “KAH-sah”
• plastið ~ “PLAH-sti(th)”
• annan ~ “AH-nan” (double n sound)

If you want, tell me whether you’re aiming for Icelandic IPA, a British-English approximation, or American-English approximation.