In Icelandic, present participles (words ending in -andi) can sometimes function as prepositions. The most common of these is varðandi, which means "regarding" or "concerning".
Governing the Accusative
Like standard prepositions, varðandi dictates the case of the noun that follows it. It always takes the accusative case. Let's look at a fussy pet owner's instructions for their cat sitter:
| I am very fussy regarding my indoor cat. | Ég er mjög smámunasamur varðandi inniköttinn minn. |
Setting the Topic
You will frequently see varðandi placed at the very beginning of a sentence to establish the topic ("Regarding the..."). When structured this way, the main clause following the comma often begins with the particle þá (then) to neatly link the topic to the statement.
| Regarding the pet food, you must follow the rules strictly. | Varðandi fóðrið, þá verður þú að fylgja reglunum stranglega. |
| Regarding the litter box, he sometimes paws the sand out onto the floor. | Varðandi sandkassann, þá krafsar hann stundum sandinn út á gólfið. |
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