Ef við flokkum sorpið betur núna, getum við endurnýtt meira síðar og sparað peninga.

Ef means if. It introduces a conditional subordinate clause:

Ef við flokkum sorpið betur núna
= If we sort the rubbish better now

So the sentence has two parts:

• the if-clause: Ef við flokkum sorpið betur núna
• the main clause: getum við endurnýtt meira síðar og sparað peninga

Flokkum is the 1st person plural present tense of flokka = to sort / classify.

So:

• að flokka = to sort
• við flokkum = we sort

Because the subject is við (we), Icelandic uses the finite verb form flokkum.

Að flokka sorp means to sort waste / separate trash into categories.

So flokkum sorpið betur means something like:

• sort the trash better
• separate the waste more carefully
• do a better job of sorting our rubbish

This is a very common expression in environmental and recycling contexts.

Sorp means trash / waste.
Sorpið means the trash / the waste.

The ending -ið is the definite article attached to the noun. Icelandic usually puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.

So:

• sorp = trash, waste
• sorpið = the trash, the waste

In this sentence, English might or might not say the, but Icelandic naturally uses the definite form here.

Betur is the comparative of vel (well).

• vel = well
• betur = better
• best = best

So:

• að flokka sorpið betur = to sort the trash better

Even though English uses better the same way, learners sometimes expect an adjective form. But here it is an adverb, because it describes how we sort.

This is because of Icelandic verb-second (V2) word order in main clauses.

The sentence starts with a subordinate clause:

Ef við flokkum sorpið betur núna

After that, the main clause begins, and the finite verb comes first:

getum við ...

So Icelandic says:

• Ef ..., getum við ...

not normally:

• Ef ..., við getum ...

This is very important in Icelandic word order. When something comes before the main clause, the finite verb still takes the second position in that main clause.

Getum is the 1st person plural present tense of geta = can / be able to.

So:

• að geta = to be able to, can
• við getum = we can

In this sentence:

getum við endurnýtt meira síðar og sparað peninga
= we can reuse more later and save money

They are infinitives used after the modal verb geta (can).

After geta, Icelandic normally uses the bare infinitive (without að):

• við getum endurnýtt
• við getum sparað

So:

• endurnýta = to reuse / recycle / use again
• spara = to save
• after getum, they appear as endurnýtt and sparað

This happens because many Icelandic verbs ending in -a have an infinitive form that may look slightly different in actual sentence structure after a modal verb.

Here endurnýtt comes from að endurnýta, which means to reuse or sometimes to recycle / make use of again, depending on context.

In this sentence, the idea is:

• if we sort waste better now,
• we can reuse more later

Because the sentence is about sorting trash, reuse or recover for further use is the most natural interpretation.

Meira means more.

It is used here for an amount or a general degree, not for a countable plural noun.

So:

• meira = more
• fleiri = more / additional, but used with countable plural things or people

Here the sentence means reuse more (of it / in general), so meira is correct.

• núna = now
• síðar = later

The sentence contrasts present action with later results:

• betur núna = better now
• meira síðar = more later

So the structure is very logical:

If we do this better now, we can achieve more later.

Peninga is the accusative plural of peningar (money).

A useful thing to know is that Icelandic often uses peningar in the plural where English simply says money.

So:

• peningar = money
• að spara peninga = to save money

Because spara takes a direct object, the noun appears here in the accusative plural: peninga.

Yes. Both infinitives depend on getum:

• getum ... endurnýtt meira
• (getum) ... sparað peninga

So the full structure is:

getum við endurnýtt meira síðar og sparað peninga
= we can reuse more later and save money

The second infinitive does not need another getum because it is understood from the first one.

Yes. A more word-for-word version would be:

If we sort the waste better now, can we reuse more later and save money.

But in natural English, you would translate it as:

If we sort the trash better now, we can reuse more later and save money.

A few notes:

• sorp is often trash / rubbish / waste
• endurnýta can vary slightly depending on context
• peningar is literally money, even though it is grammatically plural in Icelandic