Hún krefur hann um svar.

she

Breakdown of Hún krefur hann um svar.

• hann: him
• um: about
• svar: the answer

Questions & Answers about Hún krefur hann um svar.

What is the dictionary form of krefur, and what does this verb pattern look like?

Krefur is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb krefja.

A very useful pattern is:

krefja einhvern um eitthvað
= to demand something from someone

So in your sentence:

• Hún = she
• krefur = demands
• hann = him
• um svar = for an answer / a reply

This is a verb you usually learn together with its case pattern, because that pattern is important in Icelandic.

Why is it hann and not honum?

Because krefja takes a direct object in the accusative case.

So:

• hann = accusative form of hann/he
• honum = dative form, which would be wrong here

In other words, the verb krefja specifically wants:

• a person in the accusative
• plus um
  • the thing being demanded

So Hún krefur hann um svar is correct, but Hún krefur honum um svar is not.

Why is um used here?