Við bíðum fyrir utan endurvinnslustöðina þangað til hún opnast.

We wait outside the recycling center until it opens.

Breakdown of Við bíðum fyrir utan endurvinnslustöðina þangað til hún opnast.

• við: we
• bíða: to wait
• þangað til: until
• hún: it
• fyrir utan: outside
• opnast: to open
• endurvinnslustöðin: the recycling center

Questions & Answers about Við bíðum fyrir utan endurvinnslustöðina þangað til hún opnast.

Why is it Við bíðum and not something like Við erum að bíða?

Við bíðum is the simple present tense of að bíða (to wait) and it’s the normal way to say we are waiting / we wait in Icelandic.
You can say Við erum að bíða, but that form often feels more explicitly “right now/in the middle of,” similar to English we’re in the process of waiting. In many everyday contexts, the simple present (bíðum) already covers that.

What’s going on with the verb ending -um in bíðum?

The ending -um marks 1st person plural present tense:

• ég bíð = I wait
• við bíðum = we wait
  So bíðum agrees with við (we).

Does að bíða need an object, and if so, what case does it take?

It can be used without an object (as here: just “we’re waiting”).
If you do mention what you’re waiting for, there are two common patterns: 1) bíða + genitive (more traditional/common): bíða strætósins (wait for the bus)
2) bíða eftir + dative (also very common): bíða eftir strætónum
This sentence avoids that by not specifying an object.

Why is it fyrir utan? Does it always mean physical “outside”?

fyrir utan commonly means outside in the physical sense: outside the recycling station.
It can also mean except for / apart from, depending on context. Here it’s clearly the location meaning because it’s paired with a place noun.

Why is it endurvinnslustöðina with -ina on the end?

That ending is the definite form (“the …”) in the accusative singular feminine.

• Base noun: endurvinnslustöð (recycling station)
• Definite nominative: endurvinnslustöðin (the recycling station)
• Definite accusative: endurvinnslustöðina (the recycling station, as an object of certain prepositions)

Why does fyrir utan take the accusative here?

Some Icelandic prepositions control a specific case. fyrir utan typically governs the accusative, even when it describes a location (not movement). That’s why you get endurvinnslustöðina rather than a dative form.

Is endurvinnslustöð a compound word, and how do I break it down?

Yes, it’s a compound:

• endur- = re- (again)
• vinnsla = processing / working
• stöð = station
  So endurvinnslustöð is literally something like re-processing station → recycling station.

What does þangað til mean literally, and why is it used here?

Literally, þangað means to there, and til means until/to. Together, þangað til is a fixed expression meaning until (time).
It’s used to mark the endpoint of waiting: you wait until something happens.

Is there a difference between þangað til and þar til?

In modern Icelandic they’re very close and often interchangeable for until.

• þar til is extremely common in writing and speech.
• þangað til is also common and may feel slightly more “directional” historically, but in practice it functions as until.

Why is it hún opnast? Why hún for a station?

Icelandic pronouns follow the grammatical gender of the noun, not natural gender.
stöð (station) is feminine, so the station can be referred to as hún (she/it). In English you’d normally use it.

What does opnast mean, and why isn’t it just opnar?

opnast is to open in the sense of becoming open (inchoative / “open up”), often implying that it opens by itself or as an event:

• Dyrnar opnast. = The doors open.
  opnar is the active verb to open (something):
• Hún opnar dyrnar. = She opens the doors.
  A recycling station typically opnast (it opens) rather than someone opnar it as a direct object in this sentence.

Why is opnast in the present tense if the opening is in the future?

Icelandic often uses the present tense in time clauses to refer to the future, especially after words like þangað til / þar til.
So þangað til hún opnast naturally means until it opens (even if it hasn’t opened yet).