Breakdown of Ég sé æðina á fætinum á þér.
ég
I
þú
you
sjá
to see
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
fóturinn
the foot / the leg
æðin
the vein
Questions & Answers about Ég sé æðina á fætinum á þér.
The lesson uses í for body parts, like maginn í honum. Why does this sentence use á þér?
While internal organs usually take í (inside), external body parts and limbs take á (on). Since a leg is an external appendage, Icelandic expresses "your leg" as fætinum á þér (literally "the leg on you") rather than using í.
Why is the word á used twice in á fætinum á þér?
They are doing two different jobs. The first á indicates the location of the vein: á fætinum (on the leg). The second á is the inalienable possession structure you are currently learning: á þér (literally "on you", meaning "your").
What is the base form of fætinum, and why does the vowel change?
The base word is fótur (foot or leg). The preposition á triggers the dative case here to show stationary location. The dative singular form of fótur undergoes a vowel shift from 'ó' to 'æ', becoming fæti. Adding the dative definite article -num gives us fætinum.
Why is æðina in the accusative case?
It is the direct object of the verb sjá (to see). The base word is æð (a feminine noun for vein). To say "the vein" in the accusative, we add the feminine accusative definite article -ina, resulting in æðina.
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