Breakdown of Hún spennti beltið á barnið.
hún
she
barnið
the child
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
beltið
the belt
spenna
to fasten (a belt), to tense
Questions & Answers about Hún spennti beltið á barnið.
Why is barnið in the accusative case here instead of the dative?
The preposition á takes the accusative case when it describes movement or an action directed onto something. Because she is actively putting the belt onto the child, we use the accusative barnið. If the belt were already just resting statically on the child, it would take the dative case (á barninu).
Why do both beltið and barnið end with -ið?
Both belti (belt) and barn (child) are neuter nouns. The suffix -ið is the neuter singular definite article attached to the end of the word. Because neuter nouns have the exact same form in the nominative and accusative cases, these words look the same here as they do in their dictionary forms.
How does the verb spenna work here?
Spennti is the past tense of spenna, which means to fasten or buckle. It requires the object being fastened to be in the accusative case, which is why we use beltið. It is a weak verb, meaning it forms its past tense with an ending (-ti) rather than an internal vowel change.
Could I use a genitive possessive here, like saying she fastened the belt of the child?
You could grammatically say Hún spennti belti barnsins, but Icelandic often prefers using a preposition to show who is physically affected by an action involving gear or clothing. Saying she fastened the belt on the child (á barnið) sounds much more natural for this specific physical action.
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