Learn Icelandic: Hún var með báðar hendurnar í vösunum.

Hún var með báðar hendurnar í vösunum.

She had both hands in her pockets.

Breakdown of Hún var með báðar hendurnar í vösunum.

in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)

vasinn

the pocket

Questions & Answers about Hún var með báðar hendurnar í vösunum.

Why is 'both' written as báðar in this sentence?

Báðar is the feminine accusative plural form of the dual pronoun báðir. It has to match the noun it describes, which is hendurnar (the hands). It is in the accusative case here because the phrase vera með (to have or be holding) forces the object that follows it into the accusative.

Why does the sentence use var með for 'had' instead of a form of the verb að hafa?

In Icelandic, the phrase að vera með (literally 'to be with') is used to talk about things you are physically carrying, wearing, or holding on your person right now. Að hafa is usually used for more abstract possession or things you own but don't necessarily have on you at this exact moment.

The English translation says 'her pockets', but there is no word for 'her' in the Icelandic sentence. Why is that?

When talking about body parts or clothing, Icelandic generally uses the definite article (the attached suffixes like '-nar' and '-num') rather than a possessive pronoun, as long as context makes it obvious whose body parts or clothes they are. So the sentence literally says she had both 'the' hands in 'the' pockets.

Why is vösunum (the pockets) in the dative case here?

The preposition í (in) takes the dative case when it describes a stationary location, meaning where something currently rests. Because her hands are just resting inside the pockets, we use the dative. If there was movement directed into the pockets (like putting her hands into them), it would take the accusative instead.