Breakdown of Jón prentar skjalið hennar.
hennar
her / hers (genitive)
Jón
Jon
prenta
to print
skjalið
the document
Questions & Answers about Jón prentar skjalið hennar.
Why do we use hennar here instead of a reflexive word like sitt?
Hennar means "her" (belonging to a female who is not the subject). The reflexive sinn (or sitt for a neuter noun like skjal) means "his/her/their own". Since Jón is the subject, if he were printing his own document, we would say Jón prentar skjalið sitt. Using hennar tells us he is printing a document belonging to someone else.
Why is there a "the" on the end of skjalið (the document) if we are saying "her document"?
In Icelandic, when a possessive word like hennar comes immediately after the noun, the noun must have the definite article attached. It translates literally as "the document her". This is the most common and natural word order for possession in Icelandic.
Does hennar change its ending to match the noun it belongs to?
What case is skjalið in, and why?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object receiving the action of the verb prenta (to print). Since skjal is a neuter noun, its accusative form looks exactly like its nominative (dictionary) form, so it doesn't appear to change.