Hún gleymdi símanum sínum á skrifstofunni.

She forgot her phone at the office.

Breakdown of Hún gleymdi símanum sínum á skrifstofunni.

• hún: she
• á: at
• sinn: her
• gleyma: to forget
• síminn: the phone
• skrifstofan: the office

Questions & Answers about Hún gleymdi símanum sínum á skrifstofunni.

Why is símanum in the dative case (not símann or síma)?

• The verb gleyma governs the dative: you forget something in the dative. So the object must be dative: símanum.
• símann is accusative (e.g., after verbs like missa: Hún missti símann).
• The bare dative singular of sími is síma (indefinite). Here we have the definite form because of the possessive phrase and because a specific phone is meant: símanum.

Why do we say sínum instead of hennar?

• sinn/sín/sitt (here dative masc. sg. sínum) is the reflexive possessive and refers back to the subject of the clause, i.e., “her own.”
• hennar is the non‑reflexive possessive (“her,” belonging to some other woman).
• So:
  
  • Hún gleymdi símanum sínum = she forgot her own phone.
  • Hún gleymdi símanum hennar = she forgot another woman’s phone (not her own).

If the subject is female (Hún), why is the possessive masculine (sínum) and not feminine (sinni)?

• The possessive sinn agrees with the grammatical gender, number, and case of the possessed noun, not with the owner.
• sími is masculine; in dative singular, sinn becomes sínum.
• If the possessed noun were feminine (e.g., veski is neuter; bók is feminine), the form would change accordingly (e.g., bókinni sinni in dative).

Do I need the definite ending on símanum when I use sínum?

• With a post‑posed possessive (… sínum), Icelandic commonly uses the suffixed definite article on the noun: símanum sínum.
• Forms without the article (e.g., síma sínum) occur but are less common; the “with article + postposed possessive” pattern is the safest default.

Can I put the possessive before the noun, e.g., sínum síma?

• Yes. Pre‑posed possessives are possible: Hún gleymdi sínum síma.
• When the possessive comes first, the noun is typically indefinite (no suffixed article): sínum síma (dat. sg.) versus post‑posed símanum sínum (definite).
• The post‑posed pattern is more neutral in everyday speech; the pre‑posed one can sound a bit more formal or emphatic.

Why is it á skrifstofunni and not something else?

• á takes dative for static location and accusative for motion. Here it’s a location, so dative: á skrifstofunni (“at the office”).
• If there were motion towards the office, you’d use accusative: á skrifstofuna (“to the office”).

Could I use í instead of á with skrifstofu(nni)?

• á skrifstofunni = “at the office” (workplace context; very idiomatic).
• í skrifstofunni = “in the office” (physically inside the room).
• Both are correct; choose based on meaning/context (at vs in).

Why is skrifstofunni definite?

• Icelandic often uses the definite form for familiar/unique locations in context, like workplaces: á skrifstofunni, í vinnunni (“at work”).
• If you mean “in an office” (unspecified), use the indefinite: á/í skrifstofu (dat. sg. indef.: skrifstofu; definite dative: skrifstofunni).

What’s the difference between gleymdi símanum sínum and using gleymdi að?

• gleyma + DAT = forget a thing: Hún gleymdi símanum sínum.
• gleyma að + INF = forget to do something: Hún gleymdi að taka símann sinn (“she forgot to take her phone”).

Why is the verb gleymdi and not gleymir/gleymi?

• gleymdi is the 3rd person singular past tense of gleyma.
• Present: hún gleymir; Past: hún gleymdi; Past participle: gleymt (used with perfect: hún hefur gleymt).
• The sentence narrates a past event, hence gleymdi.

Is Hún gleymdi símann ever correct?

• Not with gleyma. That would put the object in accusative (símann), but gleyma requires dative.
• To use the accusative, you need a different verb, e.g., missa: Hún missti símann (“she dropped/lost the phone”).

Where does negation go? How would I say “She didn’t forget her phone at the office”?

• The negation ekki comes after the finite verb:
  
  • Hún gleymdi ekki símanum sínum á skrifstofunni.

Can I omit sínum if it’s obvious whose phone it is?

• You can say Hún gleymdi símanum á skrifstofunni, but then it just means “the phone,” not explicitly “her own phone.”
• Including sínum is the clearest way to convey “her own.”

How do I distinguish “their own phone(s)” in the plural?

• Þeir/Þær/Þau gleymdu símanum sínum can mean they (as a group) forgot one phone (shared) or each forgot their own (context decides).
• To force the “each their own” reading with multiple phones, use plural: Þeir/Þær/Þau gleymdu símunum sínum.
• If you mean someone else’s phone, use the non‑reflexive: þeir/þær/þau gleymdu símanum hennar/hans/þeirra.

What are the relevant forms of the words here (just the ones used)?

• sími (m.): dat. sg. indef. síma; dat. sg. def. símanum.
• sinn (refl. poss.): dat. masc. sg. sínum; it agrees with the possessed noun (here masculine), not the owner.
• skrifstofa (f.): dat. sg. indef. skrifstofu; dat. sg. def. skrifstofunni.
• á: location → dative; motion → accusative.
• gleyma: takes a dative object; past 3sg gleymdi.

Can I front the place phrase for emphasis?

• Yes. Icelandic allows fronting for emphasis or topic:
  
  • Á skrifstofunni gleymdi hún símanum sínum. (Place is emphasized.)
  • Símanum sínum gleymdi hún á skrifstofunni. (Object is emphasized.)
  • Neutral remains: Hún gleymdi símanum sínum á skrifstofunni.

Is there a difference between gleymdi, hefur gleymt, and hafði gleymt?

• gleymdi = simple past (event in the past).
• hefur gleymt = present perfect (past event with current relevance: “has forgotten”).
• hafði gleymt = past perfect (event prior to another past point: “had forgotten”).
• All still take dative for the thing forgotten: símanum (sínum).