Breakdown of Hún hafnar alltaf þeirri lausn.
hún
she
alltaf
always
lausnin
the solution
sá
that (sá, sú, það; þann)
hafna
to reject
Questions & Answers about Hún hafnar alltaf þeirri lausn.
Why is þeirri used here instead of sú or þá?
þeirri is the dative feminine singular form of the demonstrative pronoun sá (meaning "that"). It is feminine to match the noun lausn (solution), and it must be in the dative case because the verb hafna (to reject) always requires its object to be dative.
Does the verb hafna always take the dative case?
Yes, hafna is a verb that governs the dative case. Whatever you are rejecting must be in the dative. This is why the object here is þeirri lausn rather than an accusative form.
Wait, isn't lausn just the base dictionary form? How do we know it's in the dative?
You are right that lausn looks exactly like the dictionary form (the nominative). For this specific feminine noun, the nominative, accusative, and dative singular forms are all identical: lausn. We know it is dative here because the verb hafna demands it, and the pronoun þeirri makes the case completely clear.
Could I say "Hún alltaf hafnar..." like in English?
No, in Icelandic main clauses, the verb needs to be in the second position (the V2 rule). Therefore, the verb hafnar comes right after the subject Hún, and the adverb alltaf is pushed after the verb.
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