Breakdown of Við erum góðir vinir og fyrirgefum hvert öðru.
vera
to be
og
and
góður
good
vinurinn
the friend
við
we
fyrirgefa
to forgive
hver annar
each other (of several)
Questions & Answers about Við erum góðir vinir og fyrirgefum hvert öðru.
Why is the phrase for each other split into two different cases, hvert and öðru?
This is the core of split case government. In Icelandic reciprocal pronouns, the first word (hvert) reflects the subject of the sentence and stays in the nominative case. The second word (öðru) acts as the object and is governed by the verb. Since the verb fyrirgefa takes a dative object, the second part changes to dative.
Since we are described as góðir vinir (masculine), why is the reciprocal pronoun hvert öðru in the neuter gender instead of the masculine hver öðrum?
While you can use the masculine hver öðrum to match the masculine plural vinir, modern Icelandic frequently uses the neuter singular form (hvert annað or in this case, hvert öðru) as a fixed, universal phrase for each other, regardless of the subject's grammatical gender. It is also the correct choice if the group of friends consists of mixed genders.
Does the use of hvert öðru instead of hvort öðru tell us anything about the number of friends?
Yes! The base word hver implies that there are three or more people in the group. If there were exactly two friends forgiving each other, you would use the dual form hvor, making the phrase hvort öðru.
What dictates the specific dative form of öðru here?
The verb fyrirgefa (to forgive) dictates the case. It requires the person who is being forgiven to be in the dative case. If you wanted to specify the thing being forgiven (the offense), that word would go in the accusative case.
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