Apposition and Job Titles
When introducing someone by their name and title (such as a job or a position on a sports team), Icelandic uses two common structures. Your choice determines whether the title takes the definite article.
Title First (Definite)
When the title comes first, it takes the definite article. The name follows, usually set off by commas.
| The commentator, Páll, has been talking a lot about the broadcast. | Lýsandinn, Páll, er búinn að vera að tala mikið um útsendinguna. |
Name First (Indefinite)
More often, Icelandic places the title directly after the name. In this format, the title is indefinite—even though English uses "the"! "Sigrún the captain" is simply Sigrún fyrirliði.
| Sigrún the captain had played well for the national team. | Sigrún fyrirliði hafði spilað vel fyrir landsliðið. |
Case Agreement
Since the name and title refer to the same person, they operate as a pair and must be in the same case.
If a verb or preposition requires the accusative case, both words take their accusative forms. Notice how Páll and lýsandi both change:
| Those who listen to Páll the commentator are very happy. | Þeir sem hlusta á Pál lýsanda eru mjög ánægðir. |
| We saw María the attacker score the goal for the national team. | Við sáum Maríu sóknarmann skora markið fyrir landsliðið. |
The same applies to the dative. The verb treysta (to trust) takes a dative object, so Einar and markvörður both change:
| We trusted Einar the goalkeeper when he came onto the pitch. | Við treystum Einari markverði þegar hann kom inn á völlinn. |
For possession, both words take the genitive:
| This is Jón the host's idea about the broadcast. | Þetta er hugmynd Jóns þáttastjórnanda um útsendinguna. |
You'll frequently hear sports broadcasters mix both formats:
| The host, Jón, and Páll the commentator went off the pitch during the half-time. | Þáttastjórnandinn, Jón, og Páll lýsandi fóru af vellinum í leikhléinu. |