Nominative Objects With Dative Subjects

Level 5

Mér líkar þessi bók. (I like this book.) mér is dative, so þessi bók stays nominative.

How It Works

Dative person, nominative thing.

  • Mér líkar þessi bók. (I like this book.)
  • Mér leiðist þessi þáttur. (This show bores me.)
  • Mér finnst myndin góð. (I think the film is good.) The adjective góð is nominative too.
  • Honum batnaði kvefið. (His cold got better.)
  • Henni þykir þessi tónlist skemmtileg. (She finds this music fun.)

Agreement. With a third-person plural noun, the verb is usually plural: Mér líkuðu bækurnar. Mér leiðast þessir þættir. The singular (Mér líkaði bækurnar) is also heard, but the plural is the usual choice in writing.

Accusative subjects are different. With vanta the person is accusative, and the thing is accusative too: Mig vantar penna (penna, accusative).

The passive. The same pattern appears in the dative passive: Mér var gefin bók (I was given a book). gefin agrees with the nominative bók.

Examples (6)

  1. Mér líkar þessi bók mjög vel.

    I like this book a lot.

    Word by Word: To-me likes this book very well.

  2. Mér leiðist þessi þáttur.

    This show bores me.

    Word by Word: To-me bores this show.

  3. Mér líkuðu bækurnar sem þú lánaðir mér.

    I liked the books you lent me.

    Word by Word: To-me liked(pl.) the-books that you lent me.

    líkuðu is plural because bækurnar is plural.

  4. Mér finnst myndin góð.

    I think the film is good.

    Word by Word: To-me finds the-film good.

  5. Honum batnaði kvefið á tveimur dögum.

    His cold got better in two days.

    Word by Word: To-him bettered the-cold in two days.

  6. Henni þykir þessi tónlist skemmtileg.

    She finds this music fun.

    Word by Word: To-her seems this music fun.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the thing in the accusative.

    Mér líkar þessa bók.
    Mér líkar þessi bók.

    mér is dative, so the other noun is nominative: þessi bók, not the accusative þessa bók.

  • Using the accusative with leiðast.

    Mér leiðist þennan þátt.
    Mér leiðist þessi þáttur.

    With a dative subject, the thing that bores you is nominative: þessi þáttur.

  • Using the accusative with finnast.

    Mér finnst myndina góða.
    Mér finnst myndin góð.

    After mér finnst, both the noun and the adjective describing it are nominative.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Nominative Objects With Dative SubjectsLevel 5

Learn This First

Nominative objects build on mér líkar and more oblique subjects.