Breakdown of Hún undirbýr fundinn fyrirfram og stendur við loforð sitt.
hún
she
og
and
sinn
her
fundurinn
the meeting
Questions & Answers about Hún undirbýr fundinn fyrirfram og stendur við loforð sitt.
Why is the reflexive possessive sitt used here instead of hennar?
Sitt (from the reflexive set sinn/sín/sitt) means “her own” and refers back to the subject of the clause, Hún. So stendur við loforð sitt = “keeps her own promise.” If you use hennar, it means “her (someone else’s) promise,” i.e., not the subject’s. Compare:
- Hún stendur við loforð sitt. = She keeps her own promise.
- Hún stendur við loforð hennar. = She keeps her promise (belonging to some other woman).
Why is fundinn in that form?
Fundinn is the definite accusative singular of the masculine noun fundur (meeting). The verb undirbúa takes a direct object, so the object is accusative; because it’s “the meeting,” it’s definite:
- Nom. sg. (subject): fundurinn
- Acc. sg. (object): fundinn The base indefinite forms are: nom. fundur, acc. fund, dat. fundi, gen. fundar.
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