Breakdown of Mig langar að rétta stráknum þessa reglustiku.
ég
I
strákurinn
the boy
langa
to want
að
to (infinitive marker)
þessi
this (m/f)
rétta
to hand
reglustikan
the ruler
Questions & Answers about Mig langar að rétta stráknum þessa reglustiku.
Why are the cases split here between stráknum (dative) and þessa reglustiku (accusative)?
This is because rétta (to hand/pass) is a ditransitive verb, meaning it takes two objects. As with verbs like gefa (to give), the person receiving the item (the indirect object, stráknum) takes the dative case, while the item being handed over (the direct object, þessa reglustiku) takes the accusative case.
Why does the sentence start with the accusative Mig instead of the nominative Ég?
The verb langa (to want) is an impersonal verb. In Icelandic, the person experiencing the desire is treated grammatically as the object of the feeling, so it requires the accusative case mig. You can think of it literally as 'it longs me'.
Why is the word for 'this' written as þessa instead of just þessi?
Demonstrative pronouns like þessi must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. Because reglustiku is a feminine noun and is in the accusative case here, the pronoun must be in its accusative feminine singular form: þessa.
What is the dictionary form of reglustiku?
The dictionary (nominative) form is reglustika. It is a weak feminine noun, which means it ends in -a in the nominative case and changes to -u in the accusative, dative, and genitive singular cases.
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