Hann safnar peningum til ferðalagsins.

He saves money for the trip.

Breakdown of Hann safnar peningum til ferðalagsins.

• hann: he
• peningurinn: the money
• til: for
• safna: to save
• ferðalagið: the trip

Questions & Answers about Hann safnar peningum til ferðalagsins.

What role does Hann play in the sentence, and how do I say “she” or “it” instead?

Hann is the 3rd person singular masculine pronoun in the nominative case (“he”), serving as the subject.

• For “she,” use Hún (nom.) with gen hennar, dat henni, acc hana.
• For “it,” use Það (nom.) with gen þess, dat þessu, acc það.

How is the verb safna conjugated here, and what case does it require?

The infinitive is að safna (“to collect, to save”). In the present tense, 3rd person singular becomes safnar (“he collects/saves”). safna always takes a dative object, so whatever you collect/save must be in the dative.

What case is peningum, and why isn’t it peningar?

peningum is the dative plural of peningur (“coin/money”). It ends in -um, the standard dative-plural ending for strong masculine nouns. peningar would be nominative plural (“coins/money” as the subject), but here peningum is the object of safna, which demands dative.

Why isn’t there a definite article on peningum (i.e. why not peningunum)?

We’re talking about “saving money” in general, not “saving the money.” To make it definite (“the money”), you’d say peningunum (dative plural definite).

What does the preposition til do, and what case does it govern?

til means “for” or “towards” in the sense of purpose. It always takes the genitive case. Here it introduces the purpose “for the trip.”

What case is ferðalagsins, and how is it formed from ferðalag?

ferðalagsins is the definite genitive singular of ferðalag (“trip”). Formation steps:

1. Start with the base ferðalag (neuter).
2. Genitive singular adds -s → ferðalags.
3. Definite article enclitic for neuter gen. sg. is -ins → ferðalagsins.

Could I say til ferðarinnar instead of til ferðalagsins? What’s the nuance?

Yes. ferð (“journey”) is a different noun. ferðarinnar is its definite gen. sg. Both mean “for the trip,” but ferðalag often implies the overall plan or itinerary, while ferð is more general. Both are grammatically correct.

Can I move til ferðalagsins to the front, and what happens to word order?

You can front the phrase for emphasis:
• Til ferðalagsins safnar hann peningum.
Icelandic uses the V2 rule: the finite verb (safnar) must remain in the second position, so when you start with Til ferðalagsins, safnar follows, then the subject hann.