Breakdown of Hún setur heilsuna sína í forgang þegar henni líður illa.
hún
she
þegar
when
sinn
her
heilsan
the health
Questions & Answers about Hún setur heilsuna sína í forgang þegar henni líður illa.
Why is it heilsuna sína instead of just heilsu sína?
Heilsan means the health, and heilsuna is its accusative singular form. In Icelandic, it is very common for a noun to appear with the definite ending even when it is followed by a possessive like minn, þinn, sinn, etc.
So heilsuna sína is a normal Icelandic way to say her own health. It does not mean a strange English-style the her health; it is just how Icelandic structures this kind of phrase.
Why is heilsuna in the accusative case?
Because it is the direct object of the verb setur.
The verb setja means to put / set, and in this sentence she is putting her health into priority, so health is the thing being acted on. Direct objects are often in the accusative in Icelandic.
- nominative: heilsa
- accusative definite singular: heilsuna
So:
- Hún setur heilsuna sína í forgang.
Why is it sína and not hennar?