Ég sakna vinkonu minnar þegar hún er í öðru landi.

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Breakdown of Ég sakna vinkonu minnar þegar hún er í öðru landi.

• vera: to be
• hún: she
• minn: my

Questions & Answers about Ég sakna vinkonu minnar þegar hún er í öðru landi.

Why is it vinkonu minnar and not vinkona mín?

Because the verb sakna takes the genitive case, not the nominative or accusative.
The basic phrase vinkona mín (my (female) friend) is in the nominative case. After sakna, it has to be in the genitive:

• Nominative: vinkona mín – my friend (subject form)
• Genitive: vinkonu minnar – my friend (after sakna)

So Ég sakna vinkonu minnar literally means I miss (am missing) of my friend, which is why vinkonu minnar appears in the genitive form.

Why does sakna use the genitive case? Can I use the accusative instead?

No, you cannot use the accusative here. In Icelandic, some verbs always govern the genitive, and sakna is one of them.

• Ég sakna vinkonu minnar – correct (genitive after sakna)
• Ég sakna vinkona mína – incorrect (that’s nominative/accusative-like ending)

It’s simply a property of the verb: sakna + genitive (of the thing/person you miss). This must be memorised, much like preposition–case combinations.

What is the difference between sakna and missa? Don’t they both mean to miss?