Breakdown of Þegar neyðin var mikil hjálpaði sjálfboðaliðinn öllum.
vera
to be
hjálpa
to help
mikill
great, much (adjective: snjórinn er mikill)
allur
all / everything / everyone
þegar
when
neyðin
the distress
sjálfboðaliðinn
the volunteer
Questions & Answers about Þegar neyðin var mikil hjálpaði sjálfboðaliðinn öllum.
Why is "everyone" translated as öllum in this sentence?
The verb hjálpa (to help) always requires its object to be in the dative case. The word for "all" or "everyone" here is the indefinite pronoun allur. Because the people being helped are plural, it must be in the dative plural form, which is öllum (this form is the same for all genders).
Why does the second part of the sentence say hjálpaði sjálfboðaliðinn (helped the volunteer) instead of the other way around?
This is the classic V2 (verb-second) rule in action! The entire first clause, Þegar neyðin var mikil (When the distress was great), acts as the first block of information. The main verb of the sentence, hjálpaði, must come exactly in the second position. This forces the subject (sjálfboðaliðinn) to move immediately after the verb.
Why use the form mikil instead of mikið or mikill?
Adjectives always have to match the noun they describe. Here, "great" is describing neyðin (the distress), which is a feminine, singular noun in the nominative case. Therefore, the adjective takes the feminine singular nominative form, mikil.
How do you break down the long word sjálfboðaliðinn?
Icelandic loves building new words by sticking smaller ones together! This word is made of sjálf (self), boða (offer), and liði (member/person) — literally a "self-offering person", or a volunteer. The -nn at the very end is the attached definite article meaning "the".
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