Breakdown of Við krefjum hann ekki svara út af þessari frekju.
hann
he
ekki
not
við
we
svarið
the answer (n)
þessi
this (m/f)
út af
because of (+ dative)
frekjan
the pushiness / the brat
krefja
to demand (of someone)
Questions & Answers about Við krefjum hann ekki svara út af þessari frekju.
Why are the objects hann and svara in the accusative and genitive cases respectively?
The verb krefja (to demand) is one of a special group of verbs that take two objects: the person you demand from is placed in the accusative case (hann), and the thing you demand is placed in the genitive case (svara).
Why is the word for answers spelled svara here instead of the usual plural svör?
Because krefja forces the thing being demanded into the genitive case. The neuter noun svar becomes svör in the nominative and accusative plural, but its genitive plural form is svara.
Why does the negation ekki split the two objects, hann and svara?
This happens because of a rule called object shift. In Icelandic main clauses, pronoun objects like hann usually move in front of sentence adverbs like ekki. The second object, svara, is a regular noun rather than a pronoun, so it stays in its normal place after the adverb.
What case does the phrase út af require?
The preposition út af (meaning because of) always governs the dative case. This is why the feminine weak noun frekja (pushiness) and the demonstrative pronoun þessi (this) both take their dative forms, becoming þessari frekju.
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