Learn Icelandic: Maðurinn lofar því.

Maðurinn lofar því.

The man promises it.

Breakdown of Maðurinn lofar því.

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Questions & Answers about Maðurinn lofar því.

Why do we use því here instead of það for "it"?

The verb lofa (to promise) dictates the case of the object that follows it. It requires the dative case, and the dative form of the pronoun það (it) is því.

Does því change if the man is promising something specific?

Yes! Því is the dative form for a neuter pronoun. If he were promising a masculine thing, you would use honum, and for a feminine thing, you would use henni. Here, he is just promising "it" as a general concept, which uses the neuter því.

Why does Maðurinn end in -inn?

In Icelandic, the word for "the" isn't a separate word like in English. Instead, it gets attached to the end of the noun. The base word is maður (a man), and adding the suffix -inn turns it into maðurinn (the man).

What is the infinitive (dictionary form) of the verb lofar?

The infinitive is að lofa (to promise). Because the subject is a third-person singular noun (maðurinn), the verb takes the ending -ar, becoming lofar.