Breakdown of Rannsóknarmaðurinn lét mig fela staðsetningartækið í skóginum.
ég
I
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
skógurinn
the forest
láta
to let
fela
to hide
rannsóknarmaðurinn
the researcher
staðsetningartækið
the tracking device
Questions & Answers about Rannsóknarmaðurinn lét mig fela staðsetningartækið í skóginum.
Does láta usually translate to "make" instead of "let"?
In Icelandic, the verb láta followed by an object and an infinitive can mean either "to let (allow)" or "to make (cause to happen)". You have to rely on context to tell them apart. Here, "The researcher made me hide..." is the most natural interpretation, though "let me hide" is grammatically possible.
Why is mig in the accusative case here?
The verb láta triggers the accusative case for the person or thing being made to do the action. This is an "accusative with infinitive" construction. Even though you are the one performing the action of hiding, you are the grammatical object of lét, so ég becomes mig.
How is the long word staðsetningartækið broken down?
Since I am moving the device into the forest, shouldn't í skóginum be accusative?
With the preposition í, the accusative is used for active movement towards a destination, while the dative is used for a static location. When you use the verb fela (to hide), Icelandic focuses on the final, static location where the object rests out of sight. Therefore, skógur takes the dative case skóginum.
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