The Benefactive Preposition "handa"
When buying a gift, bringing back a souvenir, or making something for someone, use the preposition handa. It translates to "for" in the sense of "for someone to receive."
| I am going to buy this keychain for my dad. | Ég ætla að kaupa þessa lyklakippu handa pabba mínum. |
| She found a fridge magnet and a postcard for her friend. | Hún fann ísskápssegul og póstkort handa vinkonu sinni. |
"handa" + Dative Case
The person receiving the item after handa must always be in the dative case. Notice how the nouns and their possessive pronouns change below (for instance, amma becomes ömmu, and bróðir þinn becomes bróður þínum).
| We chose a beautiful snow globe for grandma in order to make her happy. | Við völdum fallega snjókúlu handa ömmu til þess að gleðja hana. |
| Did you buy the pin for your brother before we left? | Keyptirðu barmmerkið handa bróður þínum áður en við fórum? |
This rule applies whether you are performing an action (like buying or knitting) or simply stating who an object is for.
| This lopi sweater is for my daughter. | Þessi lopapeysa er handa dóttur minni. |
| I knitted a warm lopi sweater for the grandchild. | Ég prjónaði hlýja lopapeysu handa barnabarninu. |
| The licorice is for my father, but the wool blanket is for my sister. | Lakkrísinn er handa föður mínum en ullarteppið er handa systur minni. |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io