Breakdown of Hann er í rauðri peysu, en er hann með bláan trefil? Hana minnir það.
vera
to be
hún
she
hann
he
en
but
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
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 Hann er í rauðri peysu, en er hann með bláan trefil? Hana minnir það.
Why does the sentence say Hana minnir instead of "Hún minnir"?
The verb minna (to seem to remember) is an impersonal verb that takes a "quirky" subject. Instead of the standard nominative case (hún), the person who remembers must be in the accusative case (hana).
Why is the word for "it" (það) used after minna?
The verb minna requires both the person remembering and the thing being remembered to be in the accusative case. Here, það is in the accusative and refers back to the entire previous question about him having a scarf.
Why do we use í for the sweater but með for the scarf?
In Icelandic, the preposition í (in) is used with vera for items of clothing you put on your main body, like a sweater. For accessories like a scarf, hat, or glasses, you use með (with).
Why is the sweater in the dative case (rauðri peysu) but the scarf is in the accusative case (bláan trefil)?
The prepositions trigger different cases here. When í is used to mean wearing clothing, it takes the dative case. However, when með is used to mean having or wearing an accessory, it takes the accusative case.
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