Breakdown of Hann gleymir lyklinum sínum í bílnum.
bíllinn
the car
hann
he
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
lykillinn
the key
gleyma
to forget
sinn
his/her/their own (sinn, sína, sitt)
Questions & Answers about Hann gleymir lyklinum sínum í bílnum.
Why do we use sínum here instead of hans for 'his'?
sínum is the reflexive possessive pronoun, which means it refers back to the subject of the sentence. Because Hann (He) is both the subject and the owner of the key, we use sínum ('his own'). If we used hans, it would mean he forgot another man's key!
Why is the pronoun in the form sínum rather than just sinn?
The verb gleyma (to forget) always forces its object into the dative case. Since lyklinum (the key) is masculine, singular, and dative, the pronoun has to match it, changing from sinn to the dative masculine form sínum.
lyklinum looks a bit different from the base word for key. How is it formed?
The dictionary form is lykill. When it changes to the dative case, it drops the double L and becomes lykli. Then, we add the dative masculine definite article ending -num ('the'), giving us lyklinum.
Why is the car (bílnum) also in the dative case?
The preposition í (in) takes the dative case when it describes a stationary location, like a key resting in a car. If the sentence was about action or movement into a place, í would take the accusative case instead.
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