Breakdown of Mamma situr í leikhúsinu með kærustunni.
sitja
to sit
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
mamman
the mom (informal)
með
with
kærastan
the girlfriend
leikhúsið
the theatre
Questions & Answers about Mamma situr í leikhúsinu með kærustunni.
Why does this sentence say með kærustunni (with the girlfriend) instead of using a word for "her"?
In Icelandic, it is very common to use the definite article (the attached "the" ending) instead of a possessive word like "her" or "his" when talking about family members, partners, or body parts. As long as it is obvious whose girlfriend it is from the context, kærustunni translates naturally to "her girlfriend".
How does the dictionary word kærasta (girlfriend) change to become kærustunni?
First, the preposition með (when meaning "accompanied by") forces the noun into the dative case. The dative form of kærasta is kærustu. Then, we add the dative feminine definite article ending -nni, giving us kærustunni. Notice that the final a changes to a u in the stem—this is a very common vowel change for this type of noun!
Does með always force the following word to be in the dative case?
Not always, but it does when með means "together with" or "accompanied by" a person or thing. It only takes the accusative case in specific situations, such as when it means carrying, bringing, or holding something with you.
Just as a refresher, why is leikhúsinu (the theatre) also in the dative case here?
The preposition í (in) takes the dative case when it describes a stationary location, meaning where something is currently happening. Because Mom is just sitting (situr) and not moving toward a new destination, we use the dative form leikhúsinu instead of the accusative form leikhúsið.
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