Breakdown of Er konan í rauðri peysu og maðurinn með bláan trefil? Mig minnir það.
vera
to be
og
and
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
konan
the woman
maðurinn
the man
mig
me (acc)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
peysan
the sweater
með
with
trefillinn
the scarf
rauður
red
blár
blue
minna
to seem to remember (impersonal, + accusative)
Questions & Answers about Er konan í rauðri peysu og maðurinn með bláan trefil? Mig minnir það.
Why is it Mig minnir instead of Ég minni?
The verb minna (when it means 'to recall' or 'to seem to remember') takes a 'quirky subject' in the accusative case. The Icelandic structure is somewhat like 'It reminds me.' That is why we use the accusative mig instead of the nominative ég.
Since Mig is the subject here, why does the verb end in -ir?
Because the logical subject (mig) is in the accusative case rather than the nominative, the verb cannot agree with it. Instead, the verb locks into its default, impersonal form: the third-person singular. It stays as minnir regardless of who is remembering (for example, Þig minnir, Okkur minnir).
Why does the woman's sweater take í rauðri peysu (dative) but the man's scarf takes með bláan trefil (accusative)?
Icelandic uses different prepositions depending on the type of clothing. You use í followed by the dative case for clothes you actually put your body into, like a sweater, shirt, or pants. You use með followed by the accusative case for accessories you 'carry' or wear on the outside, like a scarf, glasses, or a bag.
Why is there no verb right after og for the man?
Just like in English, you can drop the second verb to avoid sounding repetitive. The verb er at the very beginning of the sentence applies to both konan (the woman) and maðurinn (the man).
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