Breakdown of Dómarinn verður að vera óháður öllum.
vera
to be
allur
all / everything / everyone
dómarinn
the judge
verða að
to have to
óháður
independent
Questions & Answers about Dómarinn verður að vera óháður öllum.
Why is öllum in the dative case here?
The adjective óháður (independent) requires the noun or pronoun that follows it to be in the dative case. This is a special property of certain adjectives in Icelandic. Here, it forces the pronoun allur (all/everyone) into its dative plural form, öllum.
Why does óháður end in -ur in this sentence?
It is agreeing with the subject of the sentence, dómarinn (the judge). Because dómari is a masculine noun and is the singular subject in the nominative case, the adjective must be in the masculine singular nominative form, which is óháður.
Why is there an að between verður and vera?
When the verb verða is used to mean "must" or "have to", it needs the infinitive marker að before the next verb (here, vera). If you drop the að, the verb verða typically translates to "will be" or "become" instead.
Does öllum literally mean "everyone" here?
Yes, in this context. It is the dative plural form of the pronoun allur (all). When used independently without a noun, the plural forms of allur usually translate to "everyone" or "all people" in English.
Learn Dómarinn verður að vera óháður öllum 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