Questions & Answers about Kennarinn fyrirgefur ykkur.
Why do we use ykkur here instead of the basic word for "you"?
The verb fyrirgefa (to forgive) requires the person being forgiven to be in the dative case. Because the teacher is forgiving "you" (plural), we have to use the dative plural pronoun ykkur instead of the regular nominative form þið.
If English "you" can be singular or plural, how do I know which one this is?
Is fyrirgefur related to the verb gefa (to give)?
Yes! Fyrirgefa is a compound verb made from fyrir (for) and gefa (to give), which perfectly mirrors how the English word "for-give" is built. Verbs that are built from gefa usually require the person receiving the action to be in the dative case.
As a quick refresher, what is the -inn at the end of kennarinn?
That is the definite article (the word "the"). In Icelandic, "the" attaches to the end of the noun rather than being a separate word in front of it. The base word is kennari (teacher), and adding the masculine ending -inn makes it kennarinn (the teacher).
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