Log inSign up

Ferðamaðurinn tók bara nauðsynjavörurnar með sér.

Ferðamaðurinn tók bara nauðsynjavörurnar með sér.
The tourist took only the essential items with him.
From Lesson 420:Reflexive pronouns after prepositions (sig / sér / sín)·Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Ferðamaðurinn tók bara nauðsynjavörurnar með sér.

Why does the sentence use sér instead of honum for 'with him'?
In English, we say 'with him', but in Icelandic, if the person in the prepositional phrase is the same as the subject of the sentence (ferðamaðurinn), you must use a reflexive pronoun. Because the tourist is taking the items with himself, we use the reflexive sér instead of the regular third-person pronoun honum.
Why is the reflexive pronoun in the dative case (sér) rather than accusative (sig)?
The case of the reflexive pronoun here is strictly determined by the preposition that comes right before it. The preposition með meaning 'along with' requires the dative case, so the accusative sig becomes the dative sér.
How is the compound word nauðsynjavörurnar built?
The first part is nauðsynja, which is the genitive plural of nauðsyn (necessity or need). The second part is vörur (goods or products) with the definite plural article -nar attached. Together, it translates to 'the necessity products', or essential items.
If there were multiple tourists, how would the phrase með sér change?
It wouldn't change at all! The third-person reflexive pronouns sig, sér, and sín are exactly the same for both singular and plural subjects. If the sentence started with Ferðamennirnir tóku... (The tourists took...), the ending would still be með sér.

Learn Ferðamaðurinn tók bara nauðsynjavörurnar með sér and more in Icelandic

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Icelandic →