Breakdown of Svarar þú nágranna þínum?
þú
you
þinn
your (m, f, n: þinn, þín, þitt)
svara
to answer
nágranninn
the neighbor
Questions & Answers about Svarar þú nágranna þínum?
Why does this sentence use þínum instead of just þinn?
The verb svara (to answer) always forces the person or thing you are answering into the dative case. Because the noun nágranna (neighbor) is masculine, singular, and in the dative case, the possessive pronoun 'your' must copy those traits, which changes it into þínum.
How does the word nágranni change in this sentence?
The dictionary form is nágranni, which is a weak masculine noun ending in '-i'. When a weak masculine noun goes into the dative case, the '-i' ending changes to an '-a', giving us nágranna.
Why does the word 'your' (þínum) come after 'neighbor' (nágranna)?
In Icelandic, possessive pronouns almost always come immediately after the noun they belong to. If you put þínum before the noun, it would sound like you are putting heavy emphasis on it being your neighbor, not someone else's.
Why does the sentence start with the verb Svarar?
To form a yes/no question in Icelandic, you simply swap the order of the subject and the verb. The normal statement Þú svarar (You answer) flips to become the question Svarar þú? (Do you answer?).
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