Breakdown of Þau verða að gæta sín vegna uppákomunnar í gær.
þau
they (n)
í gær
yesterday
vegna
because of
verða að
to have to (verða að)
gæta
to take care of
sín
of oneself
uppákoman
the incident (unexpected event)
Questions & Answers about Þau verða að gæta sín vegna uppákomunnar í gær.
Why do we use sín here instead of a more common reflexive pronoun like sig or sér?
The verb gæta requires its object to be in the genitive case. When used reflexively to mean 'to watch out' or 'to be careful', it takes the genitive reflexive pronoun sín to form the phrase gæta sín. This pronoun stays the same regardless of the subject's gender or number.
Why is the noun uppákoma in the genitive case here, becoming uppákomunnar?
It is driven by the preposition vegna (because of), which always governs the genitive case. Since we are talking about 'the' incident, the definite article suffix -nnar is added to the feminine genitive singular form of uppákoma.
Is the að after verða strictly necessary?
Yes, it is required to express obligation. When the verb verða means 'must' or 'have to', it acts as a modal verb and is always followed by að plus an infinitive verb (like gæta). Without að, verða means 'to become' or 'will be'.
Could we use gæta without sín if they were taking care of something else?
Absolutely. If they were looking after a dog, you would say gæta hundsins. The verb gæta inherently takes the genitive case, whether it is reflecting back on the subject with sín or acting on a completely different object.
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