Breakdown of Ég sleppi lyklinum óvart.
ég
I
lykillinn
the key
óvart
accidentally
sleppa
to let go, to escape / to avoid / get out of
Questions & Answers about Ég sleppi lyklinum óvart.
Why is the key in the dative case here?
The verb sleppa (to let go of, to release) requires its object to be in the dative case. It is one of those verbs you just have to memorize as taking the dative instead of the usual accusative.
How do we get from the dictionary word lykill to lyklinum?
The dictionary form is lykill (key). In the dative case, it changes to lykli, losing the double L at the end. To say the key, we add the dative masculine definite article -num, which gives us lyklinum.
If I want to say I dropped the key, would I still use sleppa?
Yes, you can use sleppa to mean drop in the sense of letting something slip from your hands. Another very common verb for dropping things is missa, but be careful: if you use missa, the object must be in the accusative case (Ég missi lykilinn óvart).
Does the word óvart change depending on who is doing the dropping?
No, óvart is an adverb meaning accidentally or by mistake. Since it describes how the action was done, it does not change its ending to match the subject or the object.
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