Breakdown of Við treystum Einari markverði þegar hann kom inn á völlinn.
hann
he
við
we
koma
to come
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
Einar
Einar
inn
in (motion inwards)
þegar
when
treysta
to trust
markvörðurinn
the goalkeeper
völlurinn
the pitch
Questions & Answers about Við treystum Einari markverði þegar hann kom inn á völlinn.
Why is markverði indefinite in Icelandic when the English translation says the goalkeeper?
In Icelandic, when a title or descriptive noun is placed directly after a proper name in apposition (like Einari markverði), it is normally left indefinite. Adding the definite article here to make it Einari markverðinum would sound unnatural, even though we say 'the' in English.
Why are both Einari and markverði in the dative case?
The verb treysta (to trust) requires its object to be in the dative case, which makes the name Einari dative. Because markverði is in apposition to the name, meaning it describes the same person and sits right next to it in the sentence, it must agree with the name and take the dative case as well.
I know the word for goalkeeper is markvörður. Why does the vowel change in the dative form markverði?
Nouns ending in -vörður (guard) follow a specific vowel mutation pattern. In the dative singular, the root vowel ö shifts to an e, and the word takes an -i ending. This makes the declension markvörður in the nominative, markvörð in the accusative, and markverði in the dative.
Why does the phrase end with völlinn in the accusative case instead of the dative?
The phrase koma inn á indicates active motion toward a destination, which is coming onto the pitch. The preposition á takes the accusative case when it describes movement to a place. If the sentence described an action happening while already stationary on the pitch, it would use the dative form vellinum.
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