Breakdown of Hann setur tannburstann sinn í snyrtitöskuna.
hann
he
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
setja
to put
tannburstinn
the toothbrush
sinn
his/her/their own (sinn, sína, sitt)
snyrtitaskan
the toiletry bag
Questions & Answers about Hann setur tannburstann sinn í snyrtitöskuna.
Why do we use sinn here instead of hans for 'his'?
We use sinn (his own) because the owner of the toothbrush is the same person doing the action (the subject, hann). If we used hans, it would mean he is putting someone else's toothbrush into the bag!
Why is the reflexive pronoun specifically in the form sinn?
Sinn must match the gender, number, and case of the thing being owned. Tannbursti (toothbrush) is a masculine word. Because it is the object being placed, it is in the accusative case. The masculine, singular, accusative form of 'one's own' is sinn.
If sinn already shows possession, why does tannburstann have the definite article attached?
In Icelandic, when you use a possessive pronoun like sinn after a noun, that noun usually must take the definite article. It is literally structured as 'the toothbrush his own'.
Why does tannburstann end with a double 'n'?
The base word is tannbursti (a masculine noun). In the accusative case, it becomes tannbursta. When you add the masculine accusative definite article (-nn) to the end, it becomes tannburstann.
Why is snyrtitöskuna (the toiletry bag) in the accusative case instead of the dative?
The preposition í takes the accusative case when it describes movement or direction toward a destination. Because he is actively moving the toothbrush into the bag, we use the accusative. If the toothbrush were already resting in the bag, we would use the dative.
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