Hann lærði af mistökunum sínum.

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Breakdown of Hann lærði af mistökunum sínum.

• læra: to learn
• af: from
• mistökin: the mistakes

Questions & Answers about Hann lærði af mistökunum sínum.

Why is it af and not frá for “from”?

In this idiom you use the preposition af: the pattern is læra af e-u (to learn from something). Af often means “off of” or “as a result of,” which fits the idea of drawing lessons from something. Frá is more about physical origin or source (from a place/person).

• Natural: Hann lærði af mistökunum sínum.
• Unnatural for this meaning: Hann lærði frá mistökunum sínum. Related contrasts:
• læra af honum = learn from him (by observing his example)
• læra hjá honum = study under him (be his student)
• sögur frá honum = stories from him (he told them)

What does sínum mean, and why not hans?

Sínum is the reflexive possessive (dative plural of sinn), referring back to the subject of the clause. Because the subject is Hann, sínum means “his own.”

• Hann lærði af mistökunum sínum. = He learned from his own mistakes.
• Hann lærði af mistökunum hans. = He learned from his (another man’s) mistakes. Use sinn/sín/sitt only for 3rd-person “own.” For 1st/2nd person, use the regular possessives:
• Ég lærði af mistökunum mínum.
• Þú lærðir af mistökunum þínum.

Why is mistökunum in the dative plural, and what is the -unum ending?

• Af governs the dative, so the noun after it must be dative.