Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Icelandic grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Við heimsækjum mömmu.
This lesson is about accusative pronouns like hana (her), but I don't see one here. How does this fit the lesson?
This sentence demonstrates the rule that forces us to use accusative pronouns! The verb heimsækja (to visit) requires its object to be in the accusative case. Here, the noun mamma changes to mömmu. If you wanted to replace Mom with a pronoun and say We visit her, you would apply the exact same rule and use the accusative pronoun hana (Við heimsækjum hana).
Why does the word for Mom change from mamma to mömmu?
Because Mom is the direct object receiving the action of the verb, the word goes into the accusative case. For most feminine nouns that end in -a in their dictionary form (like mamma), the ending changes to -u when they become accusative.
Why does the verb heimsækja end in -um in this sentence?
In Icelandic, verbs change their endings based on who is doing the action. The pronoun við (we) is the subject here, and in the present tense, verbs paired with við almost always end in -um.
Heimsækja is a long word for to visit. Is it made up of smaller words?
Yes, it is a compound word! It combines heim (home) and the verb sækja (to seek or fetch). So, to visit someone in Icelandic is literally to seek them home.