Dative and genitive intensifiers (sjálfum, sjálfs)

The Dative Case

Continuing with the intensifying pronoun sjálfur (self/oneself), we now look at its forms in the dative and genitive cases. When you combine sjálfur with pronouns (like mér, þér, sér) to say "myself" or "yourself", it must agree in gender, number, and case with the person it refers to.

Here are the dative forms of sjálfur:

Notice that the plural form is sjálfum across all genders.

You will use the dative case when sjálfur follows prepositions that govern the dative, such as á (on/for) and hjá (with/at):

Dative-Governing Verbs

Many verbs related to personal responsibility, self-control, punishment, and reward govern the dative case in Icelandic. When you do these actions to yourself, both the pronoun and sjálfur take the dative.

Similarly, trusting someone or having respect for someone also triggers the dative. The phrase bera virðingu fyrir (to have respect for) takes the dative, as does the verb treysta (to trust):

The Genitive Case

Finally, we have the genitive forms. The genitive is used to show possession, but it is also required by certain prepositions and verbs.

Some verbs, like gæta (to take care of / to protect), govern the genitive case. When telling someone to take care of themselves, you use the genitive forms of both the pronoun and the intensifier:

You also use the genitive with prepositions like til (to) and vegna (because of / for the sake of):