Dative and Genitive Singular
In the previous lesson, we saw how the indefinite pronoun hver (each/every) adapts to the nominative and accusative cases. Now, let's complete the singular forms with the dative and genitive cases.
Here is how hver changes depending on the gender of the noun it modifies:
| Gender | Dative | Genitive |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | hverjum | hvers |
| Feminine | hverri | hverrar |
| Neuter | hverju | hvers |
Notice that the masculine and neuter forms share the exact same word in the genitive case (hvers).
Using "Hver" in the Dative
The dative case is frequently used when assigning or directing actions to someone (the indirect object). Additionally, many common verbs related to teamwork and management—such as úthluta (to allocate/assign) and sinna (to attend to)—force their objects into the dative case.
When you give an instruction or task to each person, both the pronoun hver and the noun it attaches to must take their dative endings.
| The leader intends to assign each team member a role. | Leiðtoginn ætlar að úthluta hverjum liðsmanni hlutverki. |
| I am cold, but I have to attend to every task. | Mér er kalt, en ég verð að sinna hverju verkefni. |
| Have you finished assigning each group a task? | Eruð þið búin að úthluta hverjum hópi verkefni? |
Using "Hver" in the Genitive
The genitive case is used to show possession or connection. When you want to say "the role of each member" or "the strength of each person", you use the genitive forms.
In Icelandic, the possessed noun usually comes first, followed directly by the genitive phrase.
| The role of each team member is important for our cooperation. | Hlutverk hvers liðsmanns er mikilvægt fyrir samstarfið okkar. |
| It is important to know the strengths of each person. | Það er mikilvægt að þekkja styrkleika hverrar manneskju. |