Breakdown of Læknirinn bjargar sjúklingnum.
læknirinn
the doctor
sjúklingurinn
the patient
bjarga
to rescue, to save (+ Dative)
Questions & Answers about Læknirinn bjargar sjúklingnum.
Why is the patient (sjúklingnum) in the dative case instead of the accusative?
In Icelandic, some verbs always force their object into a specific case. The verb bjarga (to save) always takes the dative case. Even though the patient is the direct object being saved, you must use the dative form instead of the usual accusative.
How do you build the word sjúklingnum from its dictionary form?
The dictionary form is sjúklingur (patient), which is a masculine noun. Because the verb requires the dative case, the -ur ending is dropped to make the basic dative form sjúkling. Then, the masculine dative definite article -num (meaning 'the') is attached to the end, resulting in sjúklingnum.
What is the base word for læknirinn and how is the ending added?
The base word is læknir (doctor). Because the doctor is the subject doing the action, it stays in the nominative (basic) case. To add the word 'the', you attach the masculine nominative definite article -inn directly to the end of the word, giving you læknirinn.
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