Breakdown of Hún tekur frakkann þinn og úlpuna mína.
og
and
hún
she
minn
my (m, f, n: minn, mín, mitt)
þinn
your (m, f, n: þinn, þín, þitt)
taka
to take
frakkinn
the coat (m)
úlpan
the winter coat
Questions & Answers about Hún tekur frakkann þinn og úlpuna mína.
Wait, isn't þinn the nominative (subject) form? Why is it used as an object here?
It happens to be both! For masculine words like frakki (coat), the possessive pronoun þinn (your) looks exactly the same in the nominative and accusative cases. So even though it is the object of the verb here, the spelling does not change.
Why does mín (my) change to mína at the end of the sentence?
Because it has to match úlpuna (the winter coat). Úlpa is a feminine noun, and since it is being taken, it is in the accusative case. The feminine accusative form of the pronoun is mína.
Why do we use the 'the' forms of the nouns (frakkann and úlpuna) if we are saying 'your' and 'my'?
In Icelandic, you usually add the attached definite article (the 'the' ending) to a noun when it is followed by a possessive pronoun. You are literally saying 'the coat your' (frakkann þinn) and 'the winter coat my' (úlpuna mína).
What makes the nouns change to frakkann and úlpuna here?
The verb tekur (takes) forces the objects being taken into the accusative case. The masculine subject form frakkinn (the coat) changes to frakkann as an object. The feminine subject form úlpan (the winter coat) changes to úlpuna.
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