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Ef maður kaupir ýmislegt, finnur maður kannski gersemi.

Ef maður kaupir ýmislegt, finnur maður kannski gersemi.
If one buys various things, one perhaps finds a treasure.
From Lesson 288:Indefinite pronoun (ýmis, ýmislegt)·Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Ef maður kaupir ýmislegt, finnur maður kannski gersemi.

Why does the sentence use ýmislegt instead of just ýmis?
In this lesson, we see that while ýmis means various and modifies a noun, ýmislegt is its neuter singular form used independently to mean various things. Here, it acts as a standalone noun and the direct object of the verb, showing exactly what is being bought.
Why is the word order finnur maður after the comma, rather than maður finnur?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action. The entire if-clause (Ef maður kaupir ýmislegt) counts as the first block of information. To keep the main verb in the second position, the verb finnur must come right after the comma, pushing the subject maður after it.
Why use maður twice instead of a standard pronoun like you or he?
The word maður literally means man, but it is the standard way to express one or the generic you in Icelandic. It is very common in general statements, hypotheses, or proverbs like this one.
What case is gersemi in here?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object that is being found. Gersemi is a feminine noun that happens to end in -i, and its form stays exactly the same in the nominative, accusative, and dative cases.

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