Breakdown of Sjálfboðaliðinn var að hjálpa einhverjum með málefnið.
vera
to be
að
to (infinitive marker)
hjálpa
to help
með
with
einhver
someone / some / any (before a noun)
sjálfboðaliðinn
the volunteer
málefnið
the cause
Questions & Answers about Sjálfboðaliðinn var að hjálpa einhverjum með málefnið.
Why is "someone" translated as einhverjum here instead of just einhver?
The verb hjálpa (to help) always forces the person being helped into the dative case. Einhverjum is the dative masculine singular form of the indefinite pronoun einhver. When referring to an unspecified person, Icelandic defaults to the masculine form.
Sjálfboðaliðinn is a very long word. How is it put together?
It is a compound word made of three parts: sjálf (self), boða (to offer or announce), and liði (team member or person). Together, sjálfboðaliði means "volunteer". The -nn at the very end is the attached definite article, meaning "the".
Why use the phrase var að hjálpa instead of just the past tense verb hjálpaði?
The phrase var að hjálpa translates to "was helping". Just like in English, Icelandic uses this continuous structure (the verb vera + að + the infinitive verb) to emphasize that an action was ongoing at that moment in the past, rather than just stating it as a finished fact (hjálpaði).
Why is málefnið in the accusative case here? Doesn't the preposition með usually take the dative?
The preposition með takes the dative when it means "together with" a person or "using" a tool. However, it takes the accusative case when it means dealing with a subject, carrying something, or having a feature. Since the volunteer is helping "with regards to" the cause, málefnið is in the accusative.
Learn Sjálfboðaliðinn var að hjálpa einhverjum með málefnið and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free