Ég klippi pappírinn með skærum og festi hann síðan með límbandi.

In Icelandic, the definite article the is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being written as a separate word.

• pappír = paper
• pappírinn = the paper

So -inn here is the attached definite article for this masculine noun form.

Because Icelandic nouns have grammatical gender. The noun pappír is masculine, so when you refer back to it with a pronoun, Icelandic uses the masculine pronoun:

• hann = him / it (masculine object form)

So in this sentence, hann means it, referring to pappírinn, not him in a natural-gender sense.

Hann is in the accusative case here because it is the direct object of the verb festi.

You can think of it like this:

• Ég festi hann = I attach/fix/tape it

The thing being attached is the direct object, so Icelandic uses the accusative.

In this sentence, með means with, and it takes the dative case.

So:

• með skærum = with scissors
• með límbandi = with tape

That is why the noun forms are:

• skæri → skærum (dative plural)
• límband → límbandi (dative singular)

Because skæri is being used after með, which requires the dative here.

Also, skæri is a special kind of noun: it is normally used as a plural-only noun, much like English scissors.

So:

• basic form: skæri
• dative plural: skærum

That gives með skærum = with scissors.

Usually, yes. Skæri is commonly treated as a plural-only noun in normal usage, just like English scissors.

So learners should get used to forms like:

• skæri = scissors
• með skærum = with scissors

Even though it refers to one tool, the grammar is plural.

Because it is the dative singular of límband.

• límband = tape
• með límbandi = with tape

Again, this happens because með takes the dative in this sentence.

Because Icelandic can leave out the subject pronoun when the same subject continues in a coordinated clause.

So:

• Ég klippi ... og festi ...

means

• I cut ... and attach ...

The second ég is understood from the first part. This is very natural, especially because the verb ending already shows first person singular.

You could say Ég klippi ... og ég festi ..., but it is not necessary here.

They are both present tense, first person singular.

• ég klippi = I cut / I am cutting
• ég festi = I attach / I am attaching

As often happens in Icelandic, the present tense can be used in a straightforward present-time sense, and the exact English translation depends on context.

No. They are finite verb forms: present tense, first person singular.

The infinitives are:

• að klippa = to cut
• að festa = to attach / fasten

So:

• Ég klippi = I cut
• Ég festi = I attach

This is natural Icelandic word order. Short object pronouns such as hann often come before adverbs like síðan.

So:

• festi hann síðan

is a natural way to say

• then attach it
• attach it afterwards

If you moved síðan, the sentence might still be understandable, but this placement is very normal.

Here síðan means then, after that, or afterwards.

It connects the two actions in sequence:

1. Ég klippi pappírinn með skærum = I cut the paper with scissors
2. og festi hann síðan með límbandi = and then attach/tape it with tape

So síðan tells you the second action happens after the first one.

Because the sentence is talking about a specific paper but not necessarily specific scissors or specific tape.

So Icelandic uses:

• pappírinn = the paper
• með skærum = with scissors
• með límbandi = with tape

Instrument phrases after með are often indefinite unless there is some reason to make them definite.

Yes. In this sentence, festa ... með límbandi naturally suggests attach/fix/tape something with tape.

So depending on context, English could say:

• I cut the paper with scissors and then attach it with tape
• I cut the paper with scissors and then tape it

The Icelandic verb itself is broader than English tape; it basically means fasten, fix, or attach.

Yes. The structure is very normal:

• Ég = subject
• klippi = verb
• pappírinn = object
• með skærum = prepositional phrase
• og festi hann síðan með límbandi = coordinated second clause

A learner can treat this as a good model for simple connected actions in Icelandic.