Breakdown of Við sáum Maríu sóknarmann skora markið fyrir landsliðið.
við
we
sjá
to see
María
Maria
fyrir
for (on someone's behalf; as in "thanks for")
skora
to score
markið
the goal (sports)
landsliðið
the national team
sóknarmaðurinn
the attacker
Questions & Answers about Við sáum Maríu sóknarmann skora markið fyrir landsliðið.
Why is sóknarmann indefinite when the English translation says "the attacker"?
In Icelandic, when a title, profession, or descriptive noun directly follows a proper name (a structure called apposition), it usually takes the indefinite form. Even though we say "María the attacker" in English, Icelandic simply says Maríu sóknarmann (rather than the definite sóknarmanninn).
Why are both Maríu and sóknarmann in the accusative case?
The verb sjá (saw) takes a direct object in the accusative case. Because sóknarmann is in apposition to Maríu—meaning it directly describes and renames her—it must match the case of the name. Therefore, both the name and the descriptive noun take the accusative.
Why do we use the infinitive skora instead of a conjugated verb like skoraði?
Icelandic uses an "accusative with infinitive" construction after verbs of perception, such as sjá (to see) or heyra (to hear). You put the person doing the action in the accusative (Maríu sóknarmann) and the action itself in the infinitive (skora). It perfectly mirrors the English structure "saw María score".
Why is landsliðið in the accusative case after fyrir?
The preposition fyrir controls the accusative case when it means "on behalf of," "for the benefit of," or "representing." Here, she is scoring a goal for the national team. As a quick refresher: if fyrir meant "in front of" (describing a static location), it would take the dative instead.
Learn Við sáum Maríu sóknarmann skora markið fyrir landsliðið and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free