Hann segir sér sögu.

he

Breakdown of Hann segir sér sögu.

• segja: to tell
• sér: herself
• saga: the story

Questions & Answers about Hann segir sér sögu.

What does sér mean in this sentence, and how is it different from honum?

In Hann segir sér sögu, sér is the reflexive dative pronoun and means “to himself” (or more generally “to himself/herself/itself/themselves,” depending on context).

• sér = “to oneself” (3rd person, reflexive, dative)
• honum = “to him” (3rd person, masculine, dative, not reflexive)

So:

• Hann segir sér sögu. = He tells himself a story.
• Hann segir honum sögu. = He tells him a story (some other man, not the subject).

Why is it sér and not sig?

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

• sig = accusative reflexive (object of verbs that take accusative)
• sér = dative reflexive (object of verbs or prepositions that take dative)

The verb segja (to say/tell) uses this pattern:

segja e-m e-ð
“tell someone (dative) something (accusative)”

So you must use dative for the person being told:

• Hann segir sér sögu.
  sér = dative reflexive, “to himself”

If the reflexive were a direct object (accusative), you’d use sig, e.g.: