Breakdown of Hún er með tár í augunum.
vera
to be
hún
she
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
með
with
augað
the eye
tárið
the tear
Questions & Answers about Hún er með tár í augunum.
How does the noun auga (eye) become augunum in this sentence?
The word auga is a weak neuter noun, which is part of a small, closed group of body parts. Its plural is augu. Because the tears are resting inside the eyes (indicating location, not movement), the preposition í requires the dative case, making the word augum. Adding the dative plural definite article suffix (-num) gives us augunum.
The English translation says 'in her eyes', but there is no word for 'her' in the Icelandic sentence. Why?
When talking about body parts, Icelandic typically uses the definite article rather than a possessive pronoun, as long as it is obvious whose body is being referred to. So í augunum (literally 'in the eyes') is the most natural way to say 'in her eyes' in this context.
Why is er með used to mean 'has' instead of hefur?
The phrase að vera með (literally 'to be with') is the standard way to express 'having' something physically on your person. This includes physical features, temporary states like colds, or, in this case, tears. The verb að hafa is generally reserved for abstract concepts, experiences, or permanent ownership of objects.
Is tár singular or plural here, and what case is it in?
It is in the accusative plural. The preposition með takes the accusative case when it means 'holding' or 'bearing'. Because tár is a strong neuter noun, its singular and plural forms are identical in the accusative, so we rely on common sense context to know it means 'tears' rather than 'a single tear'.
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