Breakdown of Konan sleppti dúfunni.
konan
the woman
sleppa
to let go, to escape / to avoid / get out of
dúfan
the dove
Questions & Answers about Konan sleppti dúfunni.
Why is the past tense verb sleppti used here instead of slapp?
The verb sleppa is actually a pair of verbs. When it means "to escape," it is a strong verb and its past tense is slapp. However, when it means "to release" or "let go of" something, it acts as a weak verb with the past tense sleppti. Since the woman is releasing something, we use the weak form.
Why is dúfunni in the dative case here?
The transitive, weak version of sleppa (meaning "to release" or "let go of") always governs the dative case. It is one of many Icelandic verbs that require their direct object to be in the dative rather than the accusative.
How do we form the word dúfunni from the dictionary form dúfa?
Dúfa (dove or pigeon) is a weak feminine noun, which means its accusative, dative, and genitive singular forms are all dúfu. Because the verb requires the dative, we take dúfu and add the feminine dative singular definite article -nni to mean "the dove," resulting in dúfunni.
Could sleppa mean anything else when used with a dative object like this?
Yes, sleppa plus the dative can also mean "to skip" or "miss out on" a task or event (such as skipping a meeting). However, context usually makes the meaning obvious. Since you wouldn't typically "skip" a bird, "released" or "let go of" is the only natural translation here.
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