Learn Icelandic: Hann stappar fótunum, sama hvar við erum. - He stomps his feet, no matter where we are.

In Icelandic, the invariable adjective sama (meaning "same") combined with a question word creates a concessive clause. So sama hvar literally means "the same where," but is used exactly like "no matter where" or "wherever" in English.

Why is fótunum in the dative case here instead of the accusative?

The verb stappa (to stomp) governs the dative case for the object being stomped. This is a common pattern in Icelandic: verbs that involve moving or using a body part as an instrument usually take the dative.

The English translation says "his feet," but fótunum just means "the feet." Why isn't there a possessive pronoun?

Icelandic frequently drops the possessive pronoun (like sínum) when referring to body parts if it is completely obvious whose body part it is from the context. Using the definite article alone on the noun (fótunum) is the most natural way to say "his feet" here.

Does the phrase sama hvar require the subjunctive mood in the following verb, erum?

No, erum is in the standard indicative mood. While many concessive or hypothetical clauses trigger the subjunctive in Icelandic, clauses built with sama plus a question word typically take the indicative mood because they treat the condition as a concrete reality rather than a hypothetical one.