Breakdown of Maðurinn ber mikla virðingu fyrir sjálfum sér.
maðurinn
the man
sér
himself/herself/themselves (dat)
fyrir
for (on someone's behalf; as in "thanks for")
mikill
great, much (adjective)
bera
to carry
sjálfur
self, oneself
virðingin
the respect
Questions & Answers about Maðurinn ber mikla virðingu fyrir sjálfum sér.
Why do we need sjálfum here if sér already means 'himself'?
Why are sjálfum and sér in the dative case?
The preposition fyrir rules the dative case when used in the set phrase bera virðingu fyrir (to have respect for). Because the subject maðurinn (the man) is masculine, the intensifier sjálfur takes the masculine dative singular form sjálfum to match the dative reflexive pronoun sér.
Why does the sentence use ber instead of the verb hafa (to have)?
In Icelandic, you do not 'have' respect, you 'bear' it. The set phrase is bera virðingu fyrir (literally 'to bear respect for'). You will often see the verb bera used in idioms related to carrying feelings or attitudes.
Why is the word for 'a lot of' written as mikla?
Mikla is the adjective mikill (much/great). It has to match the noun it describes, which is virðingu (respect). Because virðing is a feminine noun and acts as the direct object (accusative case) of the verb bera, the adjective takes the feminine accusative singular form mikla.
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