Breakdown of Ég þjálfa hundinn minn með því að gefa honum mat.
hundurinn
the dog
ég
I
hann
he
maturinn
the food
minn
my
gefa
to give
með því að
by doing
þjálfa
to train
Questions & Answers about Ég þjálfa hundinn minn með því að gefa honum mat.
Why do we use með því að to mean 'by giving' instead of just með gefa?
Prepositions like með cannot attach directly to an infinitive verb in Icelandic. You have to insert the pronoun það (it) in the dative case (því) because með rules the dative here. Literally, you are saying 'with it to give'.
Why does the verb gefa (to give) use both honum and mat here?
gefa takes two objects. The receiver of the action (the indirect object) takes the dative case, so hann becomes honum. The thing being given (the direct object) takes the accusative case, so the masculine noun matur becomes mat.
Why does hundinn have the definite article (-inn) when the English translation is just 'my dog'?
In Icelandic, when you use a possessive pronoun like minn (my), the noun before it almost always needs the definite article. So you literally say 'the-dog my'. Both the noun and the pronoun must match the accusative case because they are the direct object of þjálfa.
Could I drop því and just say með að gefa in everyday speech?
You might hear native speakers slur it together, but dropping því is considered incorrect grammar. In Icelandic, prepositions need a noun or pronoun object, which is why the dummy pronoun því is required to connect með to the infinitive phrase að gefa.
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