Breakdown of Ferðamaðurinn kom hingað með ferju en fór heim með leigubíl.
en
but
koma
to come
heim
home
fara
to go
hingað
here (direction)
með
with
ferðamaðurinn
the tourist
leigubíllinn
the taxi
ferjan
the ferry
Questions & Answers about Ferðamaðurinn kom hingað með ferju en fór heim með leigubíl.
Why do we use með here when the English translation says "by ferry" and "by taxi"?
In Icelandic, the preposition með is used to indicate the means of transport, similar to saying you travel "using" or "with" a vehicle. When used for tools or transport, með always forces the following noun into the dative case.
How did the words for "ferry" and "taxi" change to match the dative case?
Because með triggers the dative case here, the dictionary form of the feminine noun ferja (ferry) changes its ending to become ferju. The masculine noun leigubíll (taxi) drops its extra final -l to become leigubíl.
Why does the sentence use hingað and heim instead of hér and heima?
Icelandic uses different words depending on whether you are at a location or moving towards it. Because the tourist is actively traveling, we must use the motion-directed words hingað (to here) and heim (homewards), rather than the static location words hér (here) and heima (at home).
Why isn't there a pronoun like hann (he) or hún (she) before fór?
The subject ferðamaðurinn (the tourist) applies to both actions in the sentence: coming and going. Just like in English, you don't need to repeat the subject or add a pronoun after the conjunction en (but).
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