Word
Hann situr í pallborðinu með öðrum gestum.
Meaning
He sits on the panel with other guests.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Hann situr í pallborðinu með öðrum gestum.
hann
he
sitja
to sit
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
gesturinn
the guest (m)
Questions & Answers about Hann situr í pallborðinu með öðrum gestum.
Why is the word for "other" spelled öðrum here instead of annar?
öðrum is the dative plural form of annar (other). It has to match the noun it describes, gestum (guests). Because the preposition með (with) forces the following words into the dative case, both the pronoun and the noun take the -um ending. Notice how the first vowel also changes from 'a' to 'ö'!
Why does pallborðinu have that specific ending?
The base word is pallborð (a neuter noun meaning panel). The preposition í triggers the dative case here because it describes a steady location. The -inu ending is the attached definite article ("the") for neuter singular nouns in the dative case.
The translation says "on the panel", but doesn't í usually mean "in"?
Yes, í usually translates to "in". However, prepositions often don't match up perfectly between languages. In Icelandic, you sit "in" a panel (í pallborði), whereas in English you sit "on" it.
Does the preposition með always make the next words dative?
Almost always! When með means "together with" someone or "using" an object, it triggers the dative case. That is exactly why we see öðrum gestum here. It only takes the accusative case in a different context, like when it means you are actively bringing or carrying something.