Breakdown of Hún nýtur sín hérna og nýtur friðarins.
og
and
hún
she
hérna
here (colloquial, pointing)
njóta
to enjoy
sín
of oneself
friðurinn
the peace
Questions & Answers about Hún nýtur sín hérna og nýtur friðarins.
Why does the sentence use sín instead of sig for "herself"?
The verb njóta (to enjoy) is one of the verbs in Icelandic that always requires its object to be in the genitive case. While sig is the accusative form of the reflexive pronoun, sín is the genitive form.
Why does nýtur sín translate to "thrives" instead of "enjoys herself"?
Literally, the phrase að njóta sín does mean "to enjoy oneself". However, in Icelandic, this specific phrase is the standard, idiomatic way to express that someone is "thriving", "flourishing", or "truly in their element".
Why does the word for peace, friður, change to friðarins here?
Just like with the reflexive pronoun earlier, the verb njóta forces this noun into the genitive case. The genitive form of the masculine noun friður is friðar. Finally, the definite article suffix -ins is attached to the end to make it "the peace".
Why is the verb nýtur repeated? Couldn't we just say "Hún nýtur sín hérna og friðarins"?
While you can often drop a repeated verb in English, Icelandic strongly prefers repeating the verb when it applies to two very different types of objects—in this case, a set idiomatic reflexive pronoun (sín) and a regular noun (friðarins). Repeating nýtur makes the sentence sound much more natural and clear.
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