Breakdown of Kúgarinn rænir andófsmanninn mannréttindunum.
ræna
to rob
mannréttindin
the human rights
kúgarinn
the oppressor
andófsmaðurinn
the dissident
Questions & Answers about Kúgarinn rænir andófsmanninn mannréttindunum.
Why is the person being robbed in the accusative (andófsmanninn) while the thing taken is in the dative (mannréttindunum)?
The verb ræna (to rob) uses a specific case pattern for deprivation: ræna einhvern einhverju. The person being robbed goes in the accusative, while the thing taken is in the dative. This is a mirror image of a typical verb of giving, which usually takes a dative person and an accusative thing.
Does the noun mannréttindi (human rights) exist in the singular?
No, mannréttindi is a neuter plural-only noun. In this sentence, it takes the definite dative plural ending -unum, making it mannréttindunum.
How is the word andófsmanninn (the dissident) broken down?
It is a compound of andóf (dissent or opposition) and maður (person or man), joined by a linking -s-. Because it ends in -maður, it declines just like it: the accusative singular is mann, and adding the definite article -inn gives us andófsmanninn.
Can I change the word order to put the stolen rights before the person?
Generally, no. With verbs of deprivation like ræna that take an accusative person and a dative thing, the person almost always comes right after the verb. Placing the dative thing before the person here would sound very unnatural.
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