Reciprocal Pronouns: "Each other"
In Icelandic, expressing that people do something to "each other" requires a reciprocal pronoun made of two words. Your choice depends on how many people are involved:
- Hvor annar: Used for exactly two people.
- Hver annar: Used for three or more people (or a general group).
Split Case Government
These pronouns have a unique feature called split case government. Because they are two separate words, they decline independently:
- The first word (hvor or hver) represents the subject. It stays in the nominative case and matches the subject's gender.
- The second word (annar) represents the object. It takes the case required by the verb (accusative, dative, or genitive) and also matches the subject's gender.
For example, the verb að hjálpa (to help) requires the dative case. If two women help each other, the feminine nominative hvor pairs with the feminine dative annarri:
| The friendship is important and they (two females) help each other. | Vináttan er mikilvæg og þær hjálpa hvor annarri. |
If a larger group of boys (three or more) trusts each other, the verb að treysta (to trust) also takes the dative. The masculine nominative hver pairs with the masculine dative öðrum:
| The cooperation is good and the boys trust each other. | Samvinnan er góð og strákarnir treysta hver öðrum. |
The verb að sakna (to miss) requires the genitive case:
| They are reliable friends and miss each other (two females). | Þær eru traustar vinkonur og sakna hvor annarrar. |
Prepositions Between Pronouns
When a verb takes a preposition, the preposition splits the two words, sitting right in the middle!
The first word remains nominative, the preposition drops in, and the second word takes the case governed by that preposition.
For example, að hlusta á (to listen to) takes the accusative case:
| The married couple are understanding and listen to each other. | Hjónin eru skilningsrík og hlusta hvort á annað. |
The preposition með (with) governs the dative case:
| Helpfulness is important because we work with each other. | Hjálpsemin er mikilvæg af því að við vinnum hvert með öðru. |
The preposition til (to/towards) governs the genitive case:
| They show great affection and smile at each other. | Þeir sýna mikla væntumþykju og brosa hver til annars. |
Friendships, Cooperation, and Trust
When discussing relationships, you will frequently use reciprocal pronouns alongside vocabulary for support and connection. Verbs like að styðja (to support) and að uppörva (to encourage) take the accusative case.
| The cooperation between them is great because they (two males) support each other. | Samvinnan milli þeirra er frábær af því að þeir styðja hvor annan. |
| The brothers encourage each other before the exam. | Bræðurnir uppörva hvor annan fyrir prófið. |
Finally, notice how the mixed-gender/neuter pronoun þau triggers the neuter forms hvort or hvert:
| The couple shows care and trusts each other with everything. | Hjónin sýna umhyggju og treysta hvort öðru fyrir öllu. |
