Breakdown of Hvern munu þeir kjósa gjaldkera?
þeir
they (m)
hver
who / what / which (one)
munu
will
kjósa
to elect
Questions & Answers about Hvern munu þeir kjósa gjaldkera?
Why are both Hvern and gjaldkera in the accusative case here?
This sentence uses kjósa (to elect), which is a double accusative verb. That means both the direct object (the person being elected, here the question word Hvern) and the object complement (the role they are given, gjaldkera) must take the accusative case.
Wait, isn't hver the word for 'who'? Why use Hvern?
Because the person being asked about is the direct object of the verb kjósa, not the subject. The subject doing the electing is þeir (they). Since kjósa requires the accusative for its object, the nominative hver becomes the masculine accusative hvern (whom).
What is the nominative (dictionary) form of gjaldkera, and why does it end in '-a' here?
The dictionary form is gjaldkeri (treasurer). It is a weak masculine noun, which means its accusative, dative, and genitive singular forms all end in '-a'. It takes the accusative here because it acts as the second part of the double accusative with kjósa.
Could we use a preposition before the role, like 'kjósa að gjaldkera'?
No. Unlike some other verbs that use a preposition to indicate a change of state or role, verbs of electing and naming like kjósa, nefna, and kalla directly take two accusative objects. Adding a preposition here would be incorrect.