Hún einbeitir sér í eina klukkustund án símans.

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Breakdown of Hún einbeitir sér í eina klukkustund án símans.

• í: for
• án: without
• síminn: the phone

Questions & Answers about Hún einbeitir sér í eina klukkustund án símans.

Why is it sér and not sig after einbeitir?

Because að einbeita sér “to concentrate” takes the reflexive in the dative case. The dative reflexive for 3rd person is sér. The accusative reflexive is sig, but that’s used with verbs that take the accusative (e.g., Hún meiddi sig “She hurt herself”). With this verb you always say:

• ég einbeiti mér
• þú einbeitir þér
• hún/hann/það einbeitir sér
• við einbeitum okkur
• þið einbeitið ykkur
• þær/þeir/þau einbeita sér

What does í eina klukkustund do here, and why is it accusative (eina)?

It expresses duration: “for one hour.” In Icelandic, duration is very often shown with í + accusative. The numeral einn declines, and because klukkustund is feminine and in the accusative, you get eina:

• nominative fem.: ein
• accusative fem.: eina So: í eina klukkustund = “for one hour.”

Could I say í einni klukkustund instead?