Breakdown of Þau nutu sín og nutu friðarins í skóginum.
og
and
þau
they (n)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
skógurinn
the forest
njóta
to enjoy
sín
of oneself
friðurinn
the peace
Questions & Answers about Þau nutu sín og nutu friðarins í skóginum.
Why do we use sín here instead of sig or sér for 'themselves'?
The verb njóta (to enjoy) is one of the special verbs in Icelandic that requires its object to be in the genitive case. Sín is the genitive form of the reflexive pronoun sig.
Is að njóta sín a specific fixed phrase?
Yes! While njóta on its own means 'to enjoy' an external thing (like enjoying the peace), the reflexive phrase að njóta sín specifically translates to 'enjoying oneself,' 'thriving,' or 'being in one's element.'
How is the word friðarins (the peace) formed?
It is also in the genitive case because it is the object of the second nutu (enjoyed). The base word is the masculine noun friður (peace). Its genitive form is friðar, and when you add the genitive definite article -ins (the), it becomes friðarins.
Why is skóginum in the dative case when the other nouns and pronouns are genitive?
The word skóginum (the forest) is controlled by the preposition í (in), not by the verb njóta. Because they are enjoying the peace stationarily inside the forest (rather than moving into it), the preposition í triggers the dative case.
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