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Þegar maður er kominn með varanlegan neflokk verður maður að sótthreinsa hann.

Þegar maður er kominn með varanlegan neflokk verður maður að sótthreinsa hann.
When one has gotten a permanent nose ring, one must disinfect it.
From Lesson 404:Acquired state (vera kominn með)·Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Þegar maður er kominn með varanlegan neflokk verður maður að sótthreinsa hann.

How does the phrase er kominn með work in this sentence, and why is kominn in that specific form?
The structure vera kominn með (literally "to be arrived with") is a common idiom meaning that a state of acquisition has been reached, translating to "have gotten" or "have acquired." Because it is formed with the verb vera (to be), the past participle kominn functions like an adjective and must agree with the subject. The subject here is the impersonal pronoun maður, which is grammatically masculine, so we use the masculine nominative singular form kominn. The newly acquired object (varanlegan neflokk) then follows in the accusative case.
Why is the main clause word order verður maður að sótthreinsa hann instead of maður verður?
This is due to the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire subordinate clause starting with Þegar (When) acts as the first block of information in the sentence. To keep the main verb in the second position overall, verður must come right after the comma, swapping places with the subject maður.
What does the compound word neflokk consist of?
It is made up of nef (nose) and lokkur (a lock of hair, but also commonly used for a dangling earring or piercing ring). The dictionary form is neflokkur, but it appears here as neflokk because it is the object of the preposition með, which dictates the accusative case in this phrase.
Why does the sentence end with hann when translating to "it" in English?
Pronouns in Icelandic strictly follow the grammatical gender of the noun they replace, not whether the object is animate or inanimate. Since it refers back to neflokkur, which is a masculine noun, you must use the masculine accusative pronoun hann. Using það (it) would be grammatically incorrect here.

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