Barnið finnur sér leikfang.

the child

Breakdown of Barnið finnur sér leikfang.

• finna: to find
• leikfang: the toy
• sér: themselves

Questions & Answers about Barnið finnur sér leikfang.

What is the literal and the more natural English translation of Barnið finnur sér leikfang?

Literally, it is:

• The child finds itself a toy.

More natural English would be:

• The child finds a toy (for itself).
• Or simply: The child finds a toy.

The Icelandic sér carries the idea of “for itself” or “for its own use” and is often not translated directly into English, because English usually shows that idea with context or a prepositional phrase (for itself).

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What exactly does sér mean here, and why is it used?

Sér is the reflexive pronoun in the dative case (3rd person, both singular and plural).

• Reflexive means it refers back to the subject of the sentence: here, barnið (the child).
• Dative is the case used because of the construction finna sér e-ð = to find oneself something / to get oneself something.

So Barnið finnur sér leikfang literally means “The child finds a toy for itself.”
The reflexive pronoun sér shows that the child is both the one acting and the one who benefits from the action.

You cannot use sér for I or you; it is only for 3rd person (he/she/it/they) referring back to the subject.

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