Breakdown of Hann bjargar barninu í slysinu.
hann
he
barnið
the child
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
slysið
the accident
bjarga
to rescue, to save (+ Dative)
Questions & Answers about Hann bjargar barninu í slysinu.
Why is barninu in the dative case here instead of the accusative?
How do we get the ending -inu on both barninu and slysinu?
Both barn (child) and slys (accident) are neuter nouns. When a regular neuter noun is in the dative case, it gets an -i ending (becoming barni and slysi). To make them definite (meaning 'the' child or 'the' accident), we attach the dative neuter definite article -nu to the end, giving us barninu and slysinu.
Why does the preposition í trigger the dative case for slysinu?
The preposition í (in) can take either the accusative or the dative case. It takes the dative when it describes a fixed position, location, or state (like being in an accident). If it described movement into a new location or situation, it would take the accusative.
What is the infinitive form of bjargar, and how does it conjugate?
The infinitive is bjarga. It is a regular 'a-group' verb. In the present tense, it ends in -a for the first person (ég bjarga) and takes the -ar ending for the second and third person singular, which is why we use hann bjargar (he rescues).
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