Breakdown of Leiðtoginn ætlar að úthluta hverjum liðsmanni hlutverki.
að
to (infinitive marker)
ætla
to intend
hlutverkið
the role
hver
each / every
leiðtoginn
the leader
úthluta
to allocate
liðsmaðurinn
the team member
Questions & Answers about Leiðtoginn ætlar að úthluta hverjum liðsmanni hlutverki.
Why is 'each' translated as hverjum here?
The pronoun hver (each/every) has to agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it belongs to. Here, it describes liðsmanni (team member), which is a masculine noun in the dative case. The masculine dative singular form of hver is hverjum.
Why are both the receiver (hverjum liðsmanni) and the role (hlutverki) in the dative case?
This is because of the verb úthluta (to assign or allocate). It is a special verb that takes a "double dative"! It requires both the person receiving the assignment and the thing being assigned to be in the dative case.
How does the compound word liðsmanni break down?
It is the dative form of liðsmaður (team member). It is made by combining lið (team) and maður (person/man). The -s- in the middle is a linking letter that comes from the genitive case of lið, acting as glue between the two words.
Why doesn't the verb úthluta change its ending to match the subject?
Because it follows the phrase ætlar að (intends to / is going to). The first verb, ætlar, is conjugated to match the leader (leiðtoginn). After the particle að, the second verb (úthluta) must stay in its basic dictionary form (the infinitive).
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