Settu eplahýðið í ruslatunnuna, vinsamlegast.

Settu is the imperative singular of setja (to put, place, set).

It is the form you use when speaking directly to one person:

• Settu ... = Put ...
• If you were speaking to more than one person, you would use a different imperative form.

In this sentence, Settu eplahýðið í ruslatunnuna means Put the apple peel into the trash can.

The ending -ð at the end is the suffixed definite article in Icelandic.

So:

• eplahýði = an apple peel / apple peel
• eplahýðið = the apple peel

Icelandic usually adds the to the end of the noun instead of putting a separate word in front, unlike English.

Here, eplahýðið is the thing being put somewhere, so it is the direct object of the sentence.

Eplahýði literally means apple peel, apple skin, or apple rind, depending on context.

It is a compound noun:

• epli = apple
• hýði = peel, skin

So eplahýði is literally apple-peel.

This is a very important Icelandic pattern.

The preposition í can take either:

• accusative when there is motion into something
• dative when something is located in something

Here there is movement: you are putting the peel into the trash can. So Icelandic uses the accusative:

• í ruslatunnuna = into the trash can

Compare:

• Hýðið er í ruslatunnunni. = The peel is in the trash can.
  Here there is no movement, so Icelandic uses the dative: ruslatunnunni.

Again, the -na ending includes the definite article and also reflects the noun’s case.

• ruslatunna = a trash can / trash bin
• ruslatunnuna = the trash can in the accusative singular

That accusative form is used because í here expresses motion into the bin.

So:

• í ruslatunnuna = into the trash can
• í ruslatunnunni = in the trash can

The base form is ruslatunna, a feminine noun meaning trash can, garbage can, or bin.

It is also a compound:

• rusl = trash, rubbish
• tunna = barrel, bin, can

So ruslatunna is literally something like trash-bin.

Because Icelandic usually expresses the by attaching it to the noun as an ending.

Examples from this sentence:

• eplahýði → eplahýðið = the apple peel
• ruslatunna → ruslatunnuna = the trash can

This is one of the first big differences English speakers notice. Instead of the apple peel, Icelandic often says the equivalent of apple-peel-the.

The sentence uses a very normal and natural word order for an imperative:

• Settu = verb
• eplahýðið = object
• í ruslatunnuna = destination/prepositional phrase
• vinsamlegast = please

So the structure is basically: Verb + object + place/direction + please

This is very common and natural in Icelandic commands.

Vinsamlegast means please.

It is a polite word used in requests and instructions. In a sentence like this, it often appears:

• at the end: Settu eplahýðið í ruslatunnuna, vinsamlegast.
• or sometimes earlier, depending on style and emphasis

Putting it at the end sounds very natural.

It is grammatically a singular imperative, so it is directed at one person. On its own, the imperative can sound fairly direct, but adding vinsamlegast makes it polite.

So the overall tone is:

• direct but polite
• suitable for everyday speech or instructions

Because eplahýði is a neuter noun, and in many neuter nouns the nominative and accusative singular forms are the same.

So:

• base form: eplahýði
• definite nominative/accusative singular: eplahýðið

In this sentence, eplahýðið is the direct object, so it is in the accusative, but the form looks the same as the nominative definite form.

You can tell from both meaning and grammar:

1. Setja usually means put/place something somewhere
2. The noun right after the verb, eplahýðið, is the thing being acted on
3. The phrase with í gives the destination:
   • í ruslatunnuna = into the trash can

So the structure is:

• Settu = command
• eplahýðið = the object being moved
• í ruslatunnuna = where it should go

Not literally. Setja means put or place, not specifically throw.

But in natural English, depending on context, someone might translate the whole sentence as:

• Put the apple peel in the trash can, please
• or more loosely, Throw the apple peel in the trash, please

The Icelandic sentence itself is built around the idea of putting/placing, not throwing.

A learner-friendly way to think about them is:

• eplahýðið: the final -ið is the definite ending for this neuter noun
• ruslatunnuna: the final -na is part of the definite accusative singular ending for this feminine noun

The main learning point is not just pronunciation, but recognizing that these endings mean the and also reflect the noun’s grammatical form.

So when you see endings like these, try to read them as:

• noun + the
• and sometimes also noun + the + case information