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Ég lofa að fyrirgefa sjálfum mér.

Ég lofa að fyrirgefa sjálfum mér.
I promise to forgive myself.
From Lesson 169:Dative and genitive intensifiers (sjálfum, sjálfs)·Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Ég lofa að fyrirgefa sjálfum mér.

Why does this sentence use sjálfum mér instead of just mér?
While mér alone simply means me, adding the intensifying pronoun sjálfur (here in its dative form, sjálfum) creates the meaning myself. It adds the necessary emphasis that the forgiveness is directed inward at your own self.
Why are both sjálfum and mér in the dative case?
The verb fyrirgefa (to forgive) always requires its object to be in the dative case. Since the pronoun mér has to be dative, the intensifying word sjálfur must also take the dative case to match it.
Would a female speaker also say sjálfum mér?
No, she would say sjálfri mér. The intensifying word sjálfur must agree with the gender of the speaker. Sjálfum is the masculine and neuter dative singular, while sjálfri is the feminine dative singular.
What is the purpose of að right before fyrirgefa?
The verb lofa (to promise) is followed by a verb in the infinitive when you promise to do another action. The word að acts as the infinitive marker here, working exactly like the word to does in the English phrase promise to forgive.

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