Learn Icelandic: Maðurinn rakar sig og þvær sér. - The man shaves and washes himself.

Maðurinn rakar sig og þvær sér.

The man shaves and washes himself.

Breakdown of Maðurinn rakar sig og þvær sér.

himself/herself/themselves (acc)

Questions & Answers about Maðurinn rakar sig og þvær sér.

Why does this sentence use sig after rakar but sér after þvær, if they both mean "himself"?

In Icelandic, the verb decides the grammatical case of the word that follows it. The verb raka (to shave) requires the accusative case, so we use the accusative reflexive pronoun sig. The verb þvo (to wash) requires the dative case, so we must use the dative form sér.

Could I say Maðurinn rakar hann instead?

Only if he is shaving another man! If you use the regular pronoun hann (him), it means a different person. To show that the man is doing the action to himself, you have to use the reflexive pronouns sig and sér.

Þvær looks different from the dictionary form þvo (to wash). Why is that?

Þvo is a slightly irregular verb. When conjugated in the present tense for "he/she/it" (the third person singular), the vowel changes from o to æ, making it þvær.

I remember maður means "man". Why is it Maðurinn here?

In Icelandic, the word for "the" attaches to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word. Maður means "a man", and adding the masculine definite article ending -inn turns it into Maðurinn (the man).