Breakdown of Hún er frábær í þessum hlutverkum.
vera
to be
hún
she
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
þessi
this (m/f)
Questions & Answers about Hún er frábær í þessum hlutverkum.
Why is "these" translated as þessum?
Þessum is the dative plural form of the demonstrative pronoun þessi (this/these). It has to match the case and number of the noun it goes with, which is hlutverkum (roles). A handy tip: þessum is the dative plural form for all three genders, so you only have to memorize one word for this specific case and number!
Why is the phrase þessum hlutverkum in the dative case?
The preposition í (in) can take either the accusative or dative case. It takes the accusative when talking about movement or going into something, but it takes the dative when describing a fixed state or location. Since she is simply performing in these roles (a state rather than a movement), í triggers the dative case here.
What is the base form of hlutverkum?
The base word is the neuter noun hlutverk (role). When pluralized in the dative case, it takes the standard -um ending. This is a very reliable rule in Icelandic: almost all nouns, regardless of gender, end in -um in the dative plural.
Why doesn't the adjective frábær change to match the plural roles?
Frábær (fantastic) describes the subject of the sentence, hún (she), rather than the roles themselves. Because of this, it stays in the feminine singular nominative form to match the pronoun hún.