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Questions & Answers about Við trúum henni.
Why do we use henni here instead of hana for "her"?
The verb trúa (to believe) requires the person being believed to be in the dative case. Henni is the dative form of "she", whereas hana is the accusative form.
Why does the verb end in -um?
In Icelandic, verbs change their endings based on who is doing the action. Because the subject is við (we), the verb takes the -um ending, which is the standard present tense ending for "we".
How would I say "We believe him" or "We believe them" using the rules from this lesson?
You would simply swap henni for the dative forms of "he" or "they". "We believe him" becomes Við trúum honum and "We believe them" becomes Við trúum þeim.
Is there a trick to knowing which verbs need a dative pronoun like trúa does?
There is no perfect rule, so it is always best to memorize the required case when you learn a new verb. However, verbs involving communication, helping, or an attitude towards someone (like believing, answering, or trusting) very often take the dative case.