Colloquial Possession with Names
When talking about things belonging to specific people—like your neighbors' yard tools—Icelandic frequently uses a colloquial structure.
Instead of a simple "Jón's lawnmower," speakers typically say "the lawnmower his Jón's."
The formula is: Definite Noun + hans (his) / hennar (her) + Name in the Genitive Case
The pronoun acts almost like an article for the person's name.
| Where is Jón's lawnmower? | Hvar er sláttuvélin hans Jóns? |
| Anna's garden hose is unfortunately ruined. | Garðslangan hennar Önnu er því miður ónýt. |
Changing the Case of the Possessed Object
The possessed noun changes case depending on its role in the sentence, just like any other noun. However, the pronoun (hans or hennar) and the name remain firmly locked in the genitive case.
In the following examples, the verbs vanta (to need) and nota (to use) require the accusative case, so the borrowed items change to their accusative definite forms:
| I need Einar's trailer tomorrow. | Mig vantar kerruna hans Einars á morgun. |
| I intend to use María's rake while she is at work. | Ég ætla að nota hrífuna hennar Maríu á meðan hún er í vinnunni. |
If a verb requires the dative case, like skila (to return), only the possessed item takes the dative form:
| We need to return Páll's wheelbarrow immediately. | Við þurfum að skila hjólbörunum hans Páls strax. |
Possessing Plural Items
The same rules apply to plural items. Keep in mind that some items, like hjólbörur (wheelbarrow) and skíði (skis), are always plural in Icelandic.
| Kristín's skis are very expensive. | Skíðin hennar Kristínar eru mjög dýr. |
| Who takes care of Jón's skis while he is out? | Hver sér um skíðin hans Jóns á meðan hann er úti? |
Putting It All Together
You can mix and match these possessive phrases in the same sentence, applying the case rules to each possessed noun individually.
| He puts María's barbecue into Einar's trailer. | Hann setur grillið hennar Maríu í kerruna hans Einars. |
| I intend to use Jón's wheelbarrow and Anna's rake. | Ég ætla að nota hjólbörurnar hans Jóns og hrífuna hennar Önnu. |