Dative Sickness (þágufallssýki)
Standard: Mig langar í kaffi. Nonstandard: Mér langar í kaffi. Keep the accusative with langa, vanta and dreyma.
How It Works
What it is. Þágufallssýki means "dative sickness". It is the name for a change in which the accusative subject of a small group of verbs is replaced with a dative. Many linguists prefer the neutral name þágufallshneigð (dative tendency). The change is old and common all over the country, but it is not accepted in the standard language.
Standard and nonstandard.
- Standard Mig langar í ís. Nonstandard Mér langar í ís.
- Standard Hana vantar nýja skó. Nonstandard Henni vantar nýja skó.
- Standard Mig dreymdi skrýtinn draum. Nonstandard Mér dreymdi skrýtinn draum.
- Standard Strákana langar að fara í sund. Nonstandard Strákunum langar að fara í sund.
The rule covers nouns and names as well as pronouns, as the last pair shows.
Nominative verbs too. A similar change affects verbs with an ordinary nominative subject. hlakka til (look forward to) and kvíða fyrir (dread) take the nominative: Ég hlakka til jólanna, not mig hlakkar til or mér hlakkar til.
Do not overcorrect. Verbs that really take the dative stay dative: mér finnst, mér líkar, mér líður, mér leiðist. Mig finnst is a mistake too. Learn the case together with each verb.
In daily life. So many people say it that correcting others can come across as rude. It is enough to use the standard forms yourself.
Examples (6)
- Mig langar í kaffi.
I'd like a coffee.
Word by Word: Me longs in coffee.
- Hana vantar nýja skó.
She needs new shoes.
Word by Word: Her lacks new shoes.
- Mig dreymdi skrýtinn draum í nótt.
I had a strange dream last night.
Word by Word: Me dreamed strange dream in night.
- Strákana langar að fara í sund.
The boys want to go swimming.
Word by Word: The-boys(acc.) longs to go in swimming.
strákana is accusative plural. The dative strákunum would be nonstandard here.
- Ég hlakka til jólanna.
I'm looking forward to Christmas.
Word by Word: I look-forward to the-Christmas.
- Mér finnst þetta gott.
I think this is good.
Word by Word: To-me finds this good.
finnast really takes a dative subject, so mér is correct here.
Common Mistakes
Using the dative with langa.
Mér langar í kaffi.Mig langar í kaffi.langa takes an accusative subject. The dative is common in speech, but it is not standard.
Using the dative with vanta.
Henni vantar nýja skó.Hana vantar nýja skó.vanta takes an accusative subject: hana, not henni.
Overcorrecting a real dative verb.
Mig finnst þetta gott.Mér finnst þetta gott.finnast takes a dative subject. Changing it to mig is a mistake in the other direction.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Dative sickness builds on more oblique subjects.
Related Patterns
- mig langarWanting (Mig Langar)
The most common verb affected: say mig langar.
Level 1 - mig vantarNeeding (Mig Vantar)
Another accusative verb: say mig vantar.
Level 2 - Subjects in the Dative or Accusative
The overview of dative and accusative subjects.
Level 2 - hlakka tilLooking Forward (Hlakka Til)
A nominative verb that also gets a nonstandard dative or accusative.
Level 3 - The New Impersonal Construction
Another change in progress that standard Icelandic does not accept.
Level 6
Words in This Pattern
Practice Dative Sickness (þágufallssýki) in Bubblegum
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