Breakdown of Ég hrósaði þjónustufulltrúanum fyrir hjálpina.
ég
I
fyrir
for (fyrir þig)
hjálpin
the help
þjónustufulltrúinn
the customer service representative
hrósa
to praise (+ Dative)
Questions & Answers about Ég hrósaði þjónustufulltrúanum fyrir hjálpina.
Why is þjónustufulltrúanum in the dative case here?
The verb hrósa (to praise) always requires its object to take the dative case. Even though the representative is the direct receiver of the action, Icelandic uses the dative rather than the accusative here.
How do you break down the long word þjónustufulltrúanum?
It is a compound of þjónusta (service) and fulltrúi (representative). Because it is in the dative case, the weak masculine noun fulltrúi changes to fulltrúa. Then we attach the dative masculine definite article -num to the end.
Fyrir can take different cases. Why does it take the accusative case for hjálpina in this sentence?
When fyrir is used to mean 'for' in the sense of 'in return for' or to state the reason for an action (like praising or thanking), it governs the accusative case. Therefore, the feminine noun hjálp takes the accusative definite article -ina.
Why does hjálpina end in -ina instead of just -in?
Hjálp is a feminine noun. The ending -in is the definite article for the nominative case (meaning 'the help' as a subject). Because this word is in the accusative case following the preposition fyrir, the feminine definite article changes to -ina.
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