Breakdown of Bekkjarfélaginn minn hjálpaði mér að læra.
ég
I
læra
to study
að
to (infinitive marker)
minn
my (m, f, n: minn, mín, mitt)
hjálpa
to help
bekkjarfélaginn
the classmate
Questions & Answers about Bekkjarfélaginn minn hjálpaði mér að læra.
Why does the sentence use mér instead of mig?
The verb hjálpa (to help) requires its object to be in the dative case. Therefore, the person receiving the help is mér (the dative form of 'me'), rather than the accusative mig.
How do we get bekkjar- at the start of bekkjarfélaginn?
It comes from the word bekkur (class). When building compound words in Icelandic, the first noun often takes the genitive (possessive) case. The genitive of bekkur is bekkjar, linking it to félagi (mate/companion).
Why is the word order Bekkjarfélaginn minn rather than Minn bekkjarfélagi?
The most common and natural way to show possession in Icelandic is to put the noun in its definite form (adding -nn for 'the') and follow it with the possessive pronoun. Translating literally, you are saying 'the classmate my'.
Wait, doesn't læra mean 'to learn'?
It means both 'to learn' and 'to study'! While English uses different words for the process of studying and the result of learning, Icelandic covers both concepts with the single verb læra.
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