Breakdown of Strákurinn tekur leikföngin af hillum.
strákurinn
the boy
taka
to take
leikfangið
the toy
af
off
Questions & Answers about Strákurinn tekur leikföngin af hillum.
Why is the word for shelves written as hillum here?
The preposition af (off or from) forces the noun that follows it into the dative case. The base word for shelf is hilla. Because there are multiple shelves, we add the bare dative plural ending -um, making it hillum.
How would the sentence change if he was taking the toys off the shelves?
You would change hillum to its definite form by using the ending -unum. The phrase would become af hillunum (off the shelves). Since the sentence just uses the bare ending -um, it means he is taking them off shelves in general.
Why is leikföngin (the toys) not in the dative case like hillum?
Leikföngin is the direct object of the verb tekur (takes) — it is the thing being actively taken. Direct objects usually take the accusative case. Only the noun immediately following the preposition af is forced into the dative case.
Does the word for toy (leikfang) change its vowel in this sentence?
Yes! The base word is leikfang. When it becomes plural, the a shifts to an ö, making it leikföng (toys). Then, adding the definite article ending gives us leikföngin (the toys).