sinn hvor

Icelandic

Pronoun

sinn hvor

1. for each [subject] to have its own [object] separately, used when there are two [subjects]

   að gera eitthvað sitt í hvoru lagi ― to do something separately

   Þeir fóru sinn á hvorum bílnum. ― They went on separate cars.

Usage notes

Sinn is supposed to inflect with the subject, hvor with the object. However, this rule is not followed by modern speakers, who instead treat sitt hvor as a single word:

• Þeir fóru á sitt hvorum bílnum. ― They went on separate cars.
• að gera eitthvað í sitt hvoru lagi ― to do something separately
• Viljið þið borga saman eða í sitt hvoru lagi? ― Do you want to pay together or separately?

While it is considered incorrect by language authorities, this usage is common in formal situations and in newspapers.

Also relatively common but also proscribed is to inflect sinn with the object:

• Þeir fóru á sínum hvorum bílnum. ― They went on separate cars.

See also

• sinn hver (pronoun used for three or more items)
• sitt á hvað (“alternating between”)
• sitt hvoru megin