Breakdown of Hún ætlar að bera ábyrgð á sjálfri sér.
hún
she
að
to (infinitive marker)
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
ætla
to intend
sér
himself/herself/themselves (dat)
bera
to carry
sjálfur
self, oneself
ábyrgðin
the responsibility
Questions & Answers about Hún ætlar að bera ábyrgð á sjálfri sér.
Why do we need sjálfri sér instead of just sér?
The reflexive pronoun sér alone means "herself", but adding sjálfri provides emphasis. It stresses that she intends to take responsibility for her own self, rather than someone else doing it for her or her taking responsibility for others.
Why are sjálfri and sér in the dative case here?
The case is controlled by the preposition á. The fixed phrase bera ábyrgð á (to bear responsibility for) always requires the dative case for the person or thing that follows á.
How does the word sjálfur become sjálfri?
The word sjálfur has to agree in gender, number, and case with the pronoun it emphasizes. Since it refers to a woman (hún) and is forced into the dative case by the preposition á, it takes the dative feminine singular form, which is sjálfri.
Is bera ábyrgð á the standard way to say "take responsibility for"?
Yes! It translates literally as "to bear responsibility on." In Icelandic, you use the verb bera (to bear or carry) together with the noun ábyrgð (responsibility) to express this concept.
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