Breakdown of Hún biður þjóninn um að raða servíettunum á borðið.
borðið
the table
hún
she
að
to (infinitive marker)
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
þjónninn
the waiter
biðja
to ask for
raða
to arrange
servíettan
the napkin
Questions & Answers about Hún biður þjóninn um að raða servíettunum á borðið.
Why do we use um að instead of just að before the infinitive raða?
The verb biðja (to ask or request) pairs with the preposition um when asking for something. When you ask someone to do an action, you use um að plus the infinitive verb, rather than just the standard infinitive marker að.
Why is þjóninn in the accusative case here?
The verb biðja requires the person being asked to be in the accusative case. The base word is þjónn (waiter). Its accusative form is þjón, and adding the accusative masculine definite article gives us þjóninn.
Why is servíettunum in the dative case?
The verb raða (to arrange) always governs the dative case. Therefore, the items being arranged must take the dative form. Here, we see the dative plural form of servíetta with the definite article attached.
Why is á borðið in the accusative case rather than dative?
The preposition á takes the accusative case when it describes movement toward a destination, like putting something onto a table. If it described a static location (napkins that are already sitting on the table), it would take the dative case (á borðinu).
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