Word
Hann hjálpar okkur.
Meaning
He helps us.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
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Questions & Answers about Hann hjálpar okkur.
What is the role of Hann in this sentence?
Hann is the subject pronoun in the nominative case. It’s the third person singular masculine form, corresponding to English he.
Why is okkur used here instead of við, and what case is it?
Okkur is the object form (both accusative and dative) of við. The verb hjálpa always takes a dative object, so “us” must be in the dative/accusative case (okkur), not the nominative við.
How do you form the present tense of hjálpa, and why is it hjálpar?
Hjálpa is a regular (weak) verb. To make the present tense you drop the infinitive ending -a and add -ar to the stem:
hjálp- + ar → hjálpar, meaning “(he) helps.”
Does hjálpa always require the dative case for its object?
Yes. Hjálpa is a dative-government verb. Whenever you help someone in Icelandic, that person goes into the dative case (e.g. hjálpa barninu “help the child,” hjálpa vini þínum “help your friend,” hjálpa okkur “help us”).