Breakdown of Hún vonar að læknirinn hjálpi sér.
læknirinn
the doctor
hún
she
hjálpa
to help
sig
himself/herself/themselves (acc)
að
that (conjunction)
vona
to hope
Questions & Answers about Hún vonar að læknirinn hjálpi sér.
Why does this sentence use the reflexive sér when the subject of the helping clause is the doctor?
This is what we call a long-distance reflexive. Usually, reflexive pronouns refer to the subject of their immediate clause (which is læknirinn here). But when a subordinate clause is in the subjunctive mood, the reflexive pronoun can look past its own subject and refer back to the subject of the main clause (hún).
What would it mean if the sentence ended with henni instead of sér?
If the sentence were Hún vonar að læknirinn hjálpi henni, it would mean that she hopes the doctor helps a completely different woman. Because of the long-distance reflexive rule, using a regular personal pronoun like henni strictly signals that the person being helped is not the subject of the main clause.
Why is the verb hjálpi used instead of the standard indicative hjálpar?
The main verb vona (to hope) always triggers the subjunctive mood in the subordinate clause that follows it, because it expresses a wish or something that is not yet a confirmed reality. hjálpi is the present subjunctive form of hjálpa. This subjunctive mood is actually the grammatical trigger that allows the long-distance reflexive sér to work across the clause boundary!
Why is the reflexive pronoun in the dative case (sér) rather than the accusative (sig)?
The case of the pronoun is entirely controlled by the verb acting directly upon it, regardless of what is happening in the main clause. The verb hjálpa strictly requires its object to be in the dative case. Therefore, the base reflexive pronoun sig must become the dative sér.
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