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Hver maður sópar óhreint gólf.

Hver maður sópar óhreint gólf.
Each man sweeps a dirty floor.
From Lesson 170:Each and every (hver)·Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Hver maður sópar óhreint gólf.

Why do we use hver here instead of hvern or hvert?
The pronoun hver (each/every) must agree with the noun it modifies. Because maður is a masculine noun and is the subject of the sentence, it is in the nominative case. Therefore, we use the masculine nominative singular form hver.
Doesn't hver usually mean who? How do I know it means each here?
It does! Hver is a common question word. However, when placed directly in front of a noun in a normal, non-question sentence, it functions as an indefinite pronoun meaning each or every.
What case is óhreint gólf in, and why?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb sópa (to sweep). Because gólf is a neuter noun, its accusative form looks identical to its nominative form, but we can see the case applied to the adjective óhreint, which takes the neuter accusative ending -t.
Why is the verb sópar in the singular form when the sentence describes multiple men sweeping?
Just like the English phrase each man, the Icelandic phrase hver maður is grammatically singular. Because the subject is singular, the verb takes the third-person singular form sópar instead of the plural form sópa.

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