Hún setur nokkur vínber og eina brauðsneið á diskinn sinn.

Setur is the present tense, 3rd person singular of the verb setja.

So:

• að setja = to put, place, set
• hún setur = she puts / she places

It matches hún because the subject is she, so the verb has to be in the 3rd person singular form.

In this sentence, yes, the basic order is very similar to English:

• Hún = subject
• setur = verb
• nokkur vínber og eina brauðsneið = direct object
• á diskinn sinn = destination/location phrase

So the structure is basically:

She + puts + grapes and a slice of bread + onto her plate

However, Icelandic is a verb-second language in main clauses. That means the finite verb usually stays in the second position, even if something else comes first. In this sentence, the subject comes first, so it looks very English-like.

Here nokkur means some, a few, or several, depending on context.

It agrees with vínber in grammar:

• vínber is neuter
• here it is plural
• and it is the direct object, so it is in the accusative

The form nokkur is the correct neuter plural accusative form.

So:

• nokkur vínber = some grapes

Here it is plural because nokkur shows that clearly.

A useful thing to know is that vínber has the same form in the nominative/accusative singular and plural, so context tells you the number.

For example:

• eitt vínber = one grape
• nokkur vínber = some grapes

So even though vínber itself does not change here, the word before it tells you that the meaning is plural.

Because brauðsneið is a feminine singular direct object, so einn has to change to the correct case form.

The forms go like this:

• ein = feminine nominative
• eina = feminine accusative

Since brauðsneið is the object of setur, Icelandic uses the accusative, so:

• eina brauðsneið = one slice of bread / a slice of bread

This is a very common pattern in Icelandic: adjectives, numbers, and similar words change form to match the noun.

It can function as either, depending on context.

Icelandic does not have an indefinite article like English a/an. Because of that, einn / ein / eitt can sometimes do the job of English a/an, especially when talking about one item.

So:

• eina brauðsneið can mean one slice of bread
• but in natural translation it may simply be a slice of bread

If the speaker wants to emphasize the number one, then one slice is a better translation. If not, a slice of bread is often the most natural English.

Because it is a compound noun, which is extremely common in Icelandic.

It is made from:

• brauð = bread
• sneið = slice

Together they form:

• brauðsneið = bread-slice = slice of bread

The -s- is a linking element that comes from the genitive form of brauð. This is very common in Icelandic compounds.

So instead of saying something like slice of bread as two separate words, Icelandic often builds one compound word.

Because Icelandic often uses different cases after prepositions depending on whether there is movement or location.

With á:

• accusative often means onto something, with movement
• dative often means on something, with location

Here the meaning is that she is putting the food onto the plate, so Icelandic uses the accusative:

• á diskinn = onto the plate

If the food were already sitting there, you would normally get the dative:

• á diskinum = on the plate

This motion-vs-location distinction is very important in Icelandic.

The -inn is the definite article, attached to the end of the noun.

So:

• diskur = a plate
• diskinn = the plate

In this sentence it is accusative singular, because:

1. the preposition á takes the accusative here because of movement, and
2. the noun is definite: the plate

Icelandic usually puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English does.

Because sinn is the reflexive possessive. It is used when the possessor is the same as the subject of the sentence.

Here:

• subject = hún = she
• possessor of the plate = the same she

So Icelandic says:

• diskinn sinn = her own plate

If you used hennar instead, it would usually mean her plate belonging to some other female person, not the subject herself.

Also, sinn agrees with the noun being possessed, not with the owner. Since diskinn is masculine singular accusative, the form is sinn.

So the logic is:

• hún ... diskinn sinn = she ... her own plate