Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Barnið finnur sér leikfang.

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).

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.

Why is it sér and not sig in this sentence?

Both sér and sig are reflexive pronouns, but they are in different cases:

sig = accusative reflexive
sér = dative reflexive

Which one you use depends on the role of the pronoun in the sentence:

Use sig if it is the direct object of the verb (accusative).
Use sér if it is in dative, often with certain verb patterns or after prepositions.

In Icelandic, there is a common pattern:

finna sér e-ð – to find oneself something
kaupa sér e-ð – to buy oneself something
taka sér e-ð – to take something for oneself

In all these you use sér, because the reflexive pronoun is in the dative, expressing something like a beneficiary: doing something for oneself.

So:

Barnið finnur sig. = The child finds itself (as a direct object – e.g. metaphorically, “finds itself” in life).
Barnið finnur sér leikfang. = The child finds itself a toy / finds a toy for itself.

To whom does sér refer here? Could it refer to someone else, like “for him” or “for her”?

In this sentence, sér is reflexive, so it must refer back to the subject:

Subject: Barnið (the child)
Reflexive: sér → refers to barnið

So sér here means “itself” / “for itself”.

If you wanted to say “The child finds a toy for him/her/them” (i.e. not for itself), you would not use the reflexive sér. You’d use an ordinary personal pronoun in dative, for example:

Barnið finnur honum leikfang. – The child finds him a toy.
Barnið finnur henni leikfang. – The child finds her a toy.
Barnið finnur þeim leikfang. – The child finds them a toy.

So: sér always “looks back” to the subject, never to some other 3rd person.

What cases are barnið and leikfang in, and why?

Barnið is in the nominative singular, because it is the subject of the sentence.
Leikfang is in the accusative singular, because it is the direct object of the verb finnur (finds).

Both barn and leikfang are neuter nouns, and in Icelandic the nominative and accusative singular of neuter nouns are identical in form, so they both look like dictionary forms:

Nom. sg.: leikfang
Acc. sg.: leikfang

Here leikfang is clearly the object because barnið has the definite ending -ið and is in subject position.

What does the ending -ið on barnið mean?

The -ið is the definite article attached to the noun. Icelandic usually puts the equivalent of “the” at the end of the word as a suffix:

barn – a child / child (indefinite)
barnið – the child (definite)

So:

Barnið = the child (nominative singular, definite)
Without the ending, Barn finnur sér leikfang would be ungrammatical as a full sentence; you’d need something like Barn finnur sér leikfang only inside a dictionary table, not in normal speech. In real language you’d say Barn finnur sér leikfang only if barn were part of a larger phrase like Eitt barn finnur sér leikfang (one child finds itself a toy).

Why is there no word for “a” before leikfang?

Icelandic does not have an indefinite article like English a/an.

leikfang by itself can correspond to a toy, one toy, or just toy depending on context.
The definite article (the) is marked with a suffix (-ið, -inn, -in, etc.), but the “a/an” idea is just the bare noun.

So:

Barnið finnur sér leikfang. – The child finds a toy.
If you really want to emphasize “one toy”, you can say:
- Barnið finnur sér eitt leikfang. – The child finds one toy (numeral eitt).

Can we leave out sér and just say Barnið finnur leikfang? Would the meaning change?

Yes, you can say:

Barnið finnur leikfang. – The child finds a toy.

This is perfectly grammatical, but the nuance is slightly different:

Barnið finnur leikfang. – Neutral: the child happens to find a toy.
Barnið finnur sér leikfang. – Suggests the child is getting itself a toy, for its own use (picking something out for itself).

Often English does not bother to translate that nuance, but in Icelandic the sér can sound more purposeful or self-directed, especially in combinations like:

finna sér vinnu – to find oneself a job
finna sér sæti – to find oneself a seat

So with sér you have a slight “benefit-to-self / for oneself” flavor.

Is finnur sér some kind of fixed pattern? Are there other verbs used like this?

Yes. Verb + sér + object is a very common pattern in Icelandic to show that someone does something for themselves, where English might:

add “for myself/yourself…”, or
simply leave that idea to context.

Common examples:

finna sér e-ð – find oneself something
- Ég finn mér vinnu. – I’ll find myself a job.
kaupa sér e-ð – buy oneself something
- Hún keypti sér kjól. – She bought herself a dress.
taka sér e-ð – take something for oneself
- Hann tók sér sæti. – He took a seat for himself / He took his seat.
búa sér til e-ð – make oneself something
- Ég bjó mér til samloku. – I made myself a sandwich.
velja sér e-ð – choose for oneself
- Þau völdu sér leikfang. – They chose a toy for themselves.

All of these use sér (or mér, þér, etc. for 1st/2nd person) to show that the subject is the beneficiary of the action.

How is Barnið finnur sér leikfang pronounced?

Approximate pronunciation (in a broad transcription for English speakers):

Barnið ≈ “BAR-nith”
- a like in “car”,
- ð like “th” in “this” (soft th).
finnur ≈ “FIN-nir”
- short i like in “pin”, double n is a longer n.
sér ≈ “syair”
- sj is like an “s” followed by a y sound,
- é pronounced roughly like “ye” in “yes” plus r.
leikfang ≈ “LAYK-fowngk”
- ei like “ay” in “say”,
- au here sounds roughly like “ow” in “cow”,
- final ng
  - k is pronounced together, like “ngk”.

So a rough full approximation: “BAR-nith FIN-nir syair LAYK-fowngk”.

What is the plural of leikfang, and how would the sentence change if the child finds several toys?

The noun leikfang (toy) is neuter:

Singular
- Nom./Acc.: leikfang
Plural
- Nom./Acc.: leikföng

If the child finds several toys, you would use the plural:

Barnið finnur sér leikföng. – The child finds itself toys. / The child finds some toys for itself.

Notice the vowel change a → ö in the plural: leikfang → leikföng.

What are the basic forms of the verb að finna, and why is it finnur here?

Finna is an irregular (strong) verb. Its main forms are:

infinitive: að finna – to find
1st/3rd person singular present: ég finn, hann/hún/það finnur
simple past (1st/3rd singular): fann
past participle: fundið

You use finnur here because:

the subject is barnið = 3rd person singular
the tense is present

So:

Barnið finnur sér leikfang. – The child finds a toy (for itself).
Barnið fann sér leikfang. – The child found a toy (for itself).