Many Icelandic verbs require their object to be in the dative case. These often involve interacting with or benefiting someone, such as hjálpa (to help), svara (to answer), þakka (to thank), trúa (to believe), lofa (to promise), and fyrirgefa (to forgive).
Third-Person Dative Pronouns
Here are the third-person pronouns in the dative case:
| Nominative | Dative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| hann | honum | him |
| hún | henni | her |
| það | því | it |
| þeir, þær, þau | þeim | them |
| I help him today. | Ég hjálpa honum í dag. |
| The teacher answers her immediately. | Kennarinn svarar henni strax. |
| Do you believe it? | Trúir þú því? |
| They thank them. | Þau þakka þeim. |
First- and Second-Person Dative Pronouns
The first- and second-person pronouns also change when they are the object of these verbs:
| Nominative | Dative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ég | mér | me |
| þú | þér | you (singular) |
| við | okkur | us |
| þið | ykkur | you (plural) |
| The child does not answer me. | Barnið svarar mér ekki. |
| I need to help you. | Ég þarf að hjálpa þér. |
| They need to help us now. | Þeir þurfa að hjálpa okkur núna. |
| The teacher forgives you. | Kennarinn fyrirgefur ykkur. |
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