Breakdown of Hann nýtur sín reyndar vel í sveitinni.
hann
he
vel
well
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
njóta
to enjoy
sín
of oneself
sveitin
the countryside
reyndar
actually, in fact
Questions & Answers about Hann nýtur sín reyndar vel í sveitinni.
Why do we use the genitive sín here instead of the accusative reflexive pronoun sig?
The verb njóta (to enjoy) strongly governs the genitive case. Whatever is being enjoyed must take the genitive. To say someone "enjoys themselves" or "thrives", we use the reflexive pronoun, which must therefore be in the genitive. The genitive form of sig is sín.
Does njóta sín translate exactly to "enjoy oneself" like having a good time at a party?
It can, but at a B2 level it is important to know that njóta sín often carries a deeper nuance of "thriving," "blossoming," or "being in one's element." In this sentence, it implies that he is really coming into his own and flourishing out in the countryside.
Why does the adverb reyndar come right after sín?
Because njóta sín operates almost like a single phrasal verb, the reflexive pronoun sín stays glued directly to the verb nýtur. Sentence adverbs like reyndar (actually/indeed) usually drop in right after this core verb-pronoun block, coming before manner adverbs like vel (well).
Why is sveitinni in the dative case here?
This is a good reminder of the static vs. motion rule for prepositions like í. Because he is already in the country thriving (a static location or state), í takes the dative case. If the sentence involved movement into the country, í would take the accusative case.
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