Hún teiknar sig á blaðið.

she

Breakdown of Hún teiknar sig á blaðið.

• á: on
• teikna: to draw
• blaðið: the page

Questions & Answers about Hún teiknar sig á blaðið.

Why do we use sig instead of hana in this sentence?

Sig is the Icelandic reflexive pronoun for third person (singular and plural). It means “herself / himself / itself / themselves” and it must refer back to the subject of the clause.

• Hún teiknar sig á blaðið.
  = She draws herself on(to) the paper.

If you used hana instead, it would no longer mean “herself”:

• Hún teiknar hana á blaðið.
  = She draws her (another woman) on(to) the paper.

So:

• sig = herself (referring back to hún)
• hana = her (some other female person, not the subject)

What is the literal, word‑for‑word breakdown of Hún teiknar sig á blaðið?

Word by word:

• Hún = she
• teiknar = draws (3rd person singular present of teikna “to draw”)
• sig = herself (reflexive pronoun, object of the verb)
• á = on / onto
• blaðið = the paper (blað “paper, sheet” + -ið definite ending)

So a close literal rendering is:

She draws herself onto the‑paper.

English would usually say on the paper, but the Icelandic case tells us it’s really “onto” (motion to a surface), not just “on” (location).