Questions & Answers about Þessi stærð passar henni virkilega vel.
Why is henni used instead of hana or hún?
Because with the meaning to fit (clothes/size fitting a person), the verb passa takes the dative case for the person. Henni is the dative singular of the 3rd‑person feminine pronoun. So you say passa e-m (fit someone, in the dative).
Useful dative pronouns:
- me: mér
- you (sg.): þér
- him: honum
- her: henni
- it: því
- us: okkur
- you (pl.): ykkur
- them: þeim
Using hana (accusative) or hún (nominative) would be ungrammatical here.
What does Þessi agree with, and why not þessa or þetta?
Þessi is the demonstrative determiner this, and it agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case. Stærð is feminine, nominative, singular as the subject, so you use þessi (fem./masc. nominative singular).
- Use þessa when feminine accusative or genitive is needed.
- Use þetta for neuter singular (nom./acc.), e.g., þetta stykki.
Why is stærð in the nominative case?
Because is the subject of the sentence. The subject of a finite verb is in the nominative in Icelandic. The verb is (3rd person singular, present), agreeing with the subject . The person being fitted () is in the dative as an object/experiencer.