Ég elska ömmu mína.

I love my grandmother.

Breakdown of Ég elska ömmu mína.

• ég: I
• elska: to love
• mín: my
• amma: the grandmother

Questions & Answers about Ég elska ömmu mína.

Why is it ömmu and not amma in Ég elska ömmu mína?

Because ömmu is the accusative form of amma (“grandmother”).

• Ég is the subject, so it’s in the nominative.
• The thing you love (ömmu mína) is the direct object, which must be in the accusative.

Declension of amma (singular):

• Nominative: amma – (subject) Amma kemur. “Grandma is coming.”
• Accusative: ömmu – (direct object) Ég elska ömmu. “I love grandma.”
• Dative: ömmu
• Genitive: ömmu

So in this sentence, ömmu is required because “grandmother” is the direct object of elska (“to love”).

What case is ömmu mína in, and why does mína look like that?

Ömmu mína is in the accusative singular feminine.

• Ömmu: accusative singular of amma.
• Mína: accusative singular feminine form of the possessive pronoun mín (“my”).

In Icelandic, possessive pronouns behave like adjectives: they must agree with the noun in

• gender (masculine/feminine/neuter),
• number (singular/plural), and
• case (nominative/accusative/dative/genitive).

Here:

• Noun: amma – feminine, singular, accusative → ömmu
• Possessive: mín must match that → mína

So you get ömmu mína “my grandmother” as the object.