Question 1

Why does the sentence use sér to mean "themselves"?

Accepted Answer

To say "have fun" in Icelandic, you use the verb skemmta, which literally means "to entertain." So, they are "entertaining themselves." The verb skemmta always forces the pronoun that follows it into the dative case. The dative form of the third-person reflexive pronoun (sig) is sér.

Question 2

Since þau (they) is plural, why doesn't sér change to a plural form?

Accepted Answer

In Icelandic, the third-person reflexive pronouns (sig, sér, sín) are used for both singular and plural. They never change form based on how many people are involved. Sér works equally well for "himself," "herself," "itself," and "themselves."

Question 3

Why is "a lot of fun" translated as mjög vel?

Accepted Answer

Because the sentence literally says they are "entertaining themselves," you cannot use a noun like "fun." Instead, you use adverbs to describe how they are doing it. Mjög vel means "very well." So, "having a lot of fun" is naturally expressed as "entertaining themselves very well."

Question 4

Why is the word for party veislunni here?

Accepted Answer

The base word for "a party" is veisla. The preposition í (meaning "in" or "at" a location) forces the word into the dative case, changing it to veislu. To say "the party," we attach the "the" ending (the definite article), which makes it veislunni.

Þau skemmta sér mjög vel í veislunni.

Breakdown of Þau skemmta sér mjög vel í veislunni.

Questions & Answers about Þau skemmta sér mjög vel í veislunni.

Learn Þau skemmta sér mjög vel í veislunni and more in Icelandic