Breakdown of Ég ætlaði að henda þessum jakka hvort eð er.
ég
I
að
to (infinitive marker)
ætla
to intend
jakkinn
the jacket
þessi
this (m/f)
henda
to throw away
hvort eð er
anyway
Questions & Answers about Ég ætlaði að henda þessum jakka hvort eð er.
What exactly does hvort eð er mean here, and can I move it around in the sentence?
It translates to 'anyway' or 'in any case'. Just like in English, it almost always sits at the very end of the clause. It is a completely fixed, invariable phrase, so it never changes form.
Why is the jacket in the dative case (þessum jakka)?
The verb henda (to throw or throw away) always dictates that its object must be in the dative case. Because of this rule, the jacket takes the dative form þessum jakka instead of the accusative þennan jakka.
I know hvort usually means 'whether'. Is that how it translates here?
Historically, yes. The phrase loosely traces back to 'whether it is this or that', but today it operates purely as a set discourse marker. You shouldn't try to translate the individual words; just treat the entire chunk as the adverb 'anyway'.
Could I use a past continuous phrase to say 'I was going to' instead of ætlaði?
No, Icelandic doesn't use the continuous form (vera að) for future intentions viewed from the past. The past tense of ætla (to intend or plan) followed by að plus the infinitive verb is the standard, natural way to express that you 'were going to' do something.
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