Ég set varasalva í vasann þegar veðrið er kalt og þurrt.

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Breakdown of Ég set varasalva í vasann þegar veðrið er kalt og þurrt.

• vera: to be
• veðrið: the weather
• kaldur: cold

Questions & Answers about Ég set varasalva í vasann þegar veðrið er kalt og þurrt.

Why is it í vasann and not í vasanum?

Because í can take either the accusative or the dative, depending on meaning:

• accusative = movement into something
• dative = location in something

So:

• Ég set varasalva í vasann = I put lip balm into the pocket
• Varasalvinn er í vasanum = The lip balm is in the pocket

Here, the verb setja involves putting something somewhere, so there is movement into the pocket, and that is why vasann is accusative.

Why does vasi become vasann?

Vasi means pocket and is a masculine noun. In this sentence it appears in the:

• singular
• definite form = the pocket
• accusative case

That produces vasann.

A rough pattern is:

• nominative indefinite: vasi = a pocket
• nominative definite: vasinn = the pocket
• accusative definite: vasann = the pocket

So í vasann literally means into the pocket.