Breakdown of Vélvirkinn lagar vélina með verkfærinu sínu.
laga
to fix
vélin
the machine (f)
með
with
sinn
his/her/their own (sinn, sína, sitt)
vélvirkinn
the mechanic
verkfærið
the tool
Questions & Answers about Vélvirkinn lagar vélina með verkfærinu sínu.
Why do we use sínu instead of hans for "his"?
Sínu is a form of the reflexive possessive pronoun sinn, which means "his/her/their own". We use it here because the tool belongs to the subject of the sentence (the mechanic). If we used hans, it would mean the mechanic is fixing the engine with somebody else's tool.
Why does the pronoun take the form sínu specifically?
Possessive pronouns must match the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. The preposition með (with) forces the noun following it into the dative case when it describes the instrument being used. Because verkfæri (tool) is a neuter noun in the dative singular, sinn becomes sínu to match it.
Why does verkfærinu have "the" attached to it if we are already saying "his tool"?
In English, we just say "his tool" (never "the his tool"). However, in Icelandic, when a possessive pronoun comes after the noun, the noun usually takes the definite article (the "the" ending). Therefore, verkfærinu sínu literally translates to "the tool his".
Are the words vélvirkinn and vélina related?
Yes! Vél is a feminine noun meaning "machine" or "engine" (here it is vélina, "the engine", in the accusative case). Vélvirki is a compound word made of vél + virki (worker/maker), which means "mechanic". In this sentence, it has the definite article attached to the end, becoming vélvirkinn (the mechanic).
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