Breakdown of Amman gætir hefðar sinnar.
amman
the grandmother
sinn
his/her/their own (sinn, sína, sitt)
gæta
to take care of
hefðin
the tradition
Questions & Answers about Amman gætir hefðar sinnar.
Why are hefðar and sinnar in the genitive case here?
The verb gæta (to watch over, take care of) is one of the special verbs in Icelandic that forces its object into the genitive case. Because of this verb, both the noun (hefðar) and the pronoun attached to it (sinnar) must be in the genitive.
Why do we use sinnar instead of hennar in this sentence?
This highlights the difference between the reflexive possessive pronoun sinn (one's own) and the standard pronoun hennar (hers). Because the grandmother (the subject of the sentence) is watching over her own tradition, we must use a form of sinn. If the sentence said Amman gætir hefðar hennar, it would mean the grandmother is watching over some other woman's tradition.
How does the word sinn become sinnar in this sentence?
A possessive pronoun always has to match the noun it describes in gender, number, and case. The word for tradition, hefð, is a feminine singular noun, and the verb put it in the genitive case. Therefore, sinn has to take its feminine, singular, genitive form, which is sinnar.
What is the dictionary form of hefðar?
The base (nominative) form is hefð (tradition). Like many strong feminine nouns in Icelandic, it takes the ending -ar when it is conjugated into the genitive singular case.
Learn Amman gætir hefðar sinnar and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free