Breakdown of Þær hljóta að vera skilningsríkar af því að þær hlusta hver á aðra.
vera
to be
þær
they (f)
hlusta
to listen
að
to (infinitive marker)
af því að
because
á
to/at (with verbs of perception: hlusta á, horfa á)
hljóta
to must
hver annar
each other (of several)
skilningsríkur
understanding
Questions & Answers about Þær hljóta að vera skilningsríkar af því að þær hlusta hver á aðra.
Why is the phrase for "each other" split into hver (nominative) and aðra (accusative)?
In Icelandic, reciprocal pronouns are split by the preposition. The first part, hver, stays in the nominative case because it acts as a subject referring back to þær. The preposition á sits right in the middle and dictates the case of the second part, aðra, which is accusative here because of the verb phrase hlusta á.
Why do we use the feminine forms hver and aðra instead of the masculine hver á annan?
The reciprocal pronoun has to agree in gender with the subject it refers to. Since the subject is þær (a feminine plural word for "they"), both halves of the reciprocal pronoun must also be feminine. The feminine nominative singular is hver and the feminine accusative singular is aðra.
Would it be wrong to say hvor á aðra instead of hver á aðra?
It depends on how many people are in the group. If þær refers to exactly two women, strictly speaking, you should use hvor á aðra. Because this sentence uses hver á aðra, we can assume the group has three or more women. However, in casual modern Icelandic, people often use hver regardless of the exact number.
Why use hljóta for "must" here instead of verða?
The verb hljóta is used for logical deductions or strong assumptions, much like saying "it is bound to be" or "it must be the case" in English. If you used verða here, it would sound like a strict command or obligation, making the sentence mean "they are required to be understanding."
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