Breakdown of Strákurinn fær lánaðan bolla af mér.
mér
me
af
from
strákurinn
the boy
fá lánað
to borrow
bollinn
the cup
Questions & Answers about Strákurinn fær lánaðan bolla af mér.
What does the construction fá + past participle express here?
It’s the standard way to say “to borrow” in Icelandic: fá lánað(an) = “to get (something) lent to you.” So fær lánaðan bolla means “borrows a cup.” More generally, fá + past participle can also mean “get/have something done,” e.g. Ég fékk bílinn lagaðan (I had the car repaired).
Why is it lánaðan and not some other form?
Because the past participle agrees with the noun it modifies in gender, number, and case. bolli is masculine; here it’s accusative singular (direct object), so the participle takes the strong masculine accusative ending -an: lánaðan bolla. Compare:
- Feminine: lánaða bók
- Neuter: lánað hús
- Masculine plural (acc.): lánaða bolla
Why is bolla in the accusative?
It’s the direct object of fær (from fá). The subject is nominative (Strákurinn), the thing obtained is accusative (bolla), and the lender is in a prepositional phrase (af mér, dative).
Why af mér and not frá mér? What about hjá mér?
- With the borrowing idiom, the most idiomatic prepositions for the lender are af or hjá: fá lánaðan bolla af mér / hjá mér.
- frá mér works with plain fá (“get from me”), but with lánaðan many speakers find frá less idiomatic. Prefer af or hjá for “borrow from.”
- All three take the dative, hence mér.
Why is it mér and not mig?
Because af (and frá, hjá) governs the dative. The pronoun ég declines: nominative ég, accusative mig, dative mér, genitive mín. After af, you must use mér.
Can I drop lánaðan and just say Strákurinn fær bolla af mér?
Yes, but then it only means “The boy gets a cup from me” (could be a gift, etc.). lánaðan is what specifies that the cup is on loan and will be returned.
How do I say this with the verb lána (“to lend”) instead?
Use a double-object pattern (person in dative, thing in accusative):
- Ég lána stráknum bolla. (I lend the boy a cup.) This is equivalent in meaning to Strákurinn fær lánaðan bolla af mér, but from the lender’s perspective.
Why is it fær and not fæ or fá?
fær is 3rd person singular present of the irregular verb fá (“to get”). Quick reference:
- Present: 1sg fæ, 2sg færð, 3sg fær; 1pl fáum, 2pl fáið, 3pl fá
- Past: fékk
- Past participle: fengið
What’s going on with the definite ending in Strákurinn?
Icelandic attaches the definite article to the noun: strákur → strákurinn (“the boy”). With an adjective you’d get weak adjective agreement: góði strákurinn (“the good boy”). Here the subject is just the definite noun.
How would it look if the cup were definite (“the cup”)?
Then the noun takes the definite ending and the participle switches to the weak form:
- Indefinite: Strákurinn fær lánaðan bolla af mér.
- Definite: Strákurinn fær lánaða bollann af mér. Notice lánaða (weak accusative singular masculine) before bollann.
Is this a passive sentence?
No. fær lánaðan is an active “get” construction with a participle as an object complement. A true passive would be with vera + participle, e.g. Bollinn er lánaður (af mér) (“The cup is lent (by me)”). Your sentence keeps the boy as the active nominative subject of fær.
Where does negation go?
Right after the finite verb:
- Strákurinn fær ekki lánaðan bolla af mér. Past: Strákurinn fékk ekki lánaðan bolla af mér.
Can I change the word order?
Yes, for emphasis/information structure:
- Af mér fær strákurinn lánaðan bolla. (emphasises the source)
- Strákurinn fær af mér lánaðan bolla. (also possible) The neutral order is the original.
Are there other common ways to say “borrow” here?
Yes:
- Strákurinn fær bolla að láni hjá mér.
- Strákurinn tekur bolla að láni hjá mér. These are near-equivalents of fær lánaðan bolla af mér.
Why is there a ð in lánaðan?
It’s the regular past-participle ending of weak -a verbs: stem lána- + participle -aður (masc. nom. sg.). Declined for masculine accusative singular before bolla, it becomes lánaðan. Compare málaður/málaðan (painted), lagaður/lagaðan (repaired).
What happens in the plural?
The participle still agrees with the noun:
- Masculine accusative plural: Strákurinn fær lánaða bolla af mér.
- Feminine accusative plural: Strákurinn fær lánaðar bækur af mér.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Icelandic grammar?”
Icelandic grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning IcelandicMaster Icelandic — from Strákurinn fær lánaðan bolla af mér to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions