Breakdown of Jógakennarinn lætur stelpuna snúa sér í nýja stellingu.
nýr
new
stelpan
the girl
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
láta
to let
sér
himself/herself/themselves (dat)
snúa
to turn (+ Dative)
jógakennarinn
the yoga teacher
stellingin
the pose
Questions & Answers about Jógakennarinn lætur stelpuna snúa sér í nýja stellingu.
Why does sér refer to the girl and not the yoga teacher, even though the teacher is the subject of the sentence?
This is an example of object-controlled reflexivization. In the main clause, the subject is jógakennarinn, but the girl (stelpuna) is the logical subject of the infinitive verb snúa. When a verb like láta takes an object and an infinitive, any reflexive pronoun inside the infinitive phrase points back to the object (stelpuna) doing that action, not the main subject of the sentence.
Why is the reflexive pronoun sér in the dative case rather than the accusative sig?
The case of the reflexive pronoun is determined by the verb it belongs to. The verb snúa governs the dative case for its object, even when that object is a reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself'. So, she is twisting 'herself' (sér).
The verb láta often means 'to let', but here it is translated as 'makes'. How can I tell which meaning is intended?
When láta is followed by an object and an infinitive, it usually acts as a causative verb, meaning 'to make someone do something' or 'to have someone do something'. While it can sometimes mean 'to let', context usually clarifies it. A yoga teacher instructing a class is typically 'making' or 'having' the students change poses rather than just permitting them to.
Why are nýja and stellingu in the accusative case instead of the dative?
The preposition í takes the accusative case when it indicates motion or a change of state (moving into). Because the girl is twisting into a new pose, the accusative is used for nýja stellingu. If she were already resting statically in a pose, í would take the dative case (í nýrri stellingu).
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