Breakdown of Atvinnurekandanum ber að skrá vinnuslysið í slysaskrána.
í
in
skrá sig
to register
vinnuslysið
the workplace accident
slysaskráin
the accident log
Questions & Answers about Atvinnurekandanum ber að skrá vinnuslysið í slysaskrána.
Why is atvinnurekandanum in the dative case instead of the nominative?
Because the pattern e-m ber að + infinitive takes the person responsible in the dative.
So:
- atvinnurekandi = employer
- atvinnurekandanum = to the employer / the employer in the dative
This construction is a formal way of saying that something is required of someone or someone is obliged to do something.
A very literal breakdown is something like:
- Atvinnurekandanum ber að...
- It falls to the employer to...
- or more naturally, The employer must / is required to...
So even though the employer is the responsible party, Icelandic does not put it in the nominative here.
What does ber að mean in this sentence?