Questions & Answers about Hún meiðist og ég hræðist það.
What is the difference between the base verb and meiðist in this sentence?
The base verb meiða means "to hurt" someone else. By adding the -st ending for the middle voice, the action reflects back onto the subject. So, hún meiðist means "she gets hurt" or "she hurts herself" rather than her hurting another person.
How does the -st ending change the meaning in ég hræðist?
The base verb hræða means "to scare" or "frighten" someone. When you add the -st ending to make it hræðast, it flips the perspective to the person feeling the fear. Therefore, ég hræðist translates to "I am afraid" instead of "I scare".
Why do the verbs for "she" (meiðist) and "I" (hræðist) have the exact same ending?
In the middle voice, you add -st to the regular conjugated form of the verb. For these specific verbs, the regular "I" form and "she" form happen to be identical before adding the -st.
What case is það in, and why?
Það means "it" or "that" and is in the accusative case here. The verb hræðast requires the thing you are afraid of to be in the accusative. Luckily, the accusative form of það is identical to its basic dictionary form, so the spelling doesn't change.