In Icelandic, when you want to express that members of a group receive "one each" or "each their own" of something, use the distributive pronoun sinn hvor (also commonly written as one word: sitthvor).
Like most pronouns, it changes form to match the gender and case of the noun being distributed. When used as a direct object (the accusative case), it takes these forms:
- Masculine: sinn hvorn (or sitthvorn)
- Neuter: sitt hvort (or sitthvort)
- Feminine: sína hvora (or sitthvora)
| The boys got one car each. | Strákarnir fengu sinn hvorn bílinn. |
| We bought one house each. | Við keyptum sitthvort húsið. |
| We need one computer each to work. | Okkur vantar sitthvora tölvuna til að vinna. |
Fairness and Allocation
When sharing, you will often divide resources (aðföngin) and determine whether a division (skiptingin) is fair (sanngjarn) or unfair (ósanngjarn).
| The division of the resources is fair. | Skiptingin á aðföngunum er sanngjörn. |
You can also discuss a person's individual share (hlutdeildin) or the overall allocation (úthlutunin).
| The employees' share is unfair. | Hlutdeild starfsmannanna er ósanngjörn. |
| The girls got one book each after the allocation. | Stelpurnar fengu sitthvora bókina eftir úthlutunina. |
Dividing the Profits
These distributive pronouns and sharing terms are highly useful when splitting business results, such as the profit (ágóðinn) or the yield (afraksturinn). Notice how sitthvorn helminginn translates neatly to "one half each."
| They took one half each of the profit. | Þeir tóku sitthvorn helminginn af ágóðanum. |
| The employees get a half each of the yield. | Starfsmennirnir fá sitthvorn helminginn af afrakstrinum. |