Breakdown of Býflugan safnar nefnilega bæði nektarnum og frjókorninu í dag.
og
and
í dag
today
safna
to collect
bæði
both (bæði ... og)
nefnilega
you see / the thing is
býflugan
the bee
nektarinn
the nectar
frjókornið
the pollen
Questions & Answers about Býflugan safnar nefnilega bæði nektarnum og frjókorninu í dag.
Why is nefnilega placed immediately after the verb safnar?
In Icelandic, the explanatory particle nefnilega generally sits right after the conjugated verb to naturally convey 'you see' or 'the thing is'. If you started the sentence with it, the strict V2 (verb-second) rule would require the verb to follow immediately, resulting in Nefnilega safnar býflugan..., but the mid-sentence placement shown here is much more common and conversational.
Why do nektarnum and frjókorninu have dative endings here?
They are the direct objects of the verb safna (to collect), which requires its objects to be in the dative case. Because they are paired by the conjunction structure bæði ... og (both ... and), the dative requirement applies to both nouns, giving us the dative definite forms nektarnum and frjókorninu.
Does the word bæði change its ending here to match the gender or case of the nouns?
Not in this sentence. When used in the bæði ... og (both ... and) construction, bæði functions as a fixed conjunction and does not decline. You only inflect it for gender and case when it is used as a standalone pronoun meaning 'both of them'.
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