Questions & Answers about Svikarinn skammast sín.
Why does the verb skammast end in -st here?
Skammast is an -st verb (middle voice). While the active base verb skamma means to scold or reprimand someone else, adding the -st ending changes the meaning to an internal state: to be ashamed.
What case is sín, and why is it used here?
Sín is the genitive form of the third-person reflexive pronoun. The verb skammast is one of the verbs that strictly requires its object to be in the genitive case. The full declension for this third-person reflexive pronoun is sig (accusative), sér (dative), and sín (genitive).
Does sín change if the subject becomes plural?
No, sín is used for all third-person subjects, whether singular or plural, masculine, feminine, or neuter. So if the sentence were 'The traitors are ashamed' (Svikararnir skammast sín), the pronoun remains exactly the same. However, for first and second person subjects, you must use their respective genitive personal pronouns, like mín (for 'I') or þín (for 'you').
What type of noun is svikari?
It is a weak masculine noun, which you can generally recognize because it ends in -i in the nominative singular. Here it has the nominative singular definite article suffix attached, making it svikarinn (the traitor).
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