Breakdown of Hann er ekki með bakpokann, en hann er með vegabréfið.
vera
to be
hann
he
en
but
ekki
not
með
with
bakpokinn
the backpack
vegabréfið
the passport
Questions & Answers about Hann er ekki með bakpokann, en hann er með vegabréfið.
Why does er með mean "carrying" in the first half but "has" in the second half?
The phrase vera með literally means "to be with", but in Icelandic, it is the standard way to say you have something on your person right now, like carrying a bag or having a passport in your pocket. In English, we translate this as "carrying", "holding", or "having", depending on what sounds most natural.
What case does með trigger for the objects being carried?
When með is used for physical possession, the noun that follows must be in the accusative case. That is why the words for "the backpack" and "the passport" must be in their accusative forms in this sentence.
If the dictionary word is bakpoki, how does it become bakpokann?
Bakpoki is a masculine word. First, we add the attached word for "the", making it bakpokinn (the backpack) in the subject (nominative) case. Because it comes after með, it shifts to the accusative case. For masculine words ending in -inn, the accusative ending changes to -ann, giving us bakpokann.
Does vegabréfið (the passport) also change its ending for the accusative case?
Actually, no! Vegabréf is a neuter word. A handy rule in Icelandic is that neuter words always look exactly the same in the accusative case as they do in their normal subject (nominative) case. So, vegabréfið is already in the correct accusative form here.
Where does the negative word ekki go when using vera með?
When you make a vera með sentence negative, the word ekki (not) steps right between the verb and the preposition. As we see here, it goes directly after er and before með.
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