Strákurinn felur sig stundum.

Questions & Answers about Strákurinn felur sig stundum.

Why do we use sig here instead of hann?
In Icelandic, when the person doing the action is also receiving it, you must use a reflexive pronoun. Because the boy is hiding himself, we use sig. If we said Strákurinn felur hann, it would mean the boy is hiding a completely different boy or man!
Why is the reflexive pronoun sig rather than sér?
The verb fela (to hide) requires its object to be in the accusative case. The word sig is the accusative form of the third-person reflexive pronoun. If the verb required the dative case instead, we would use sér.
How does strákur become strákurinn?
In Icelandic, the definite article (the equivalent of 'the') is usually attached to the end of the noun rather than being a separate word. Strákur means a boy, and adding the suffix -inn makes it strákurinn (the boy).
Can I change where stundum goes in this sentence?
Yes, adverbs like stundum (sometimes) can often move around. You could put it at the very beginning of the sentence for emphasis: Stundum felur strákurinn sig. Notice that if you do this, the verb felur must stay in the second position, causing the subject strákurinn to jump right after it.

Learn Strákurinn felur sig stundum and more in Icelandic

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • Practice with interactive exercises
  • Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • Learn at your own pace — completely free