Prepositions With the Dative

Level 3

út úr húsinu (out of the house) and handa þér (for you): these prepositions always take the dative.

How It Works

The main dative prepositions.

  • frá: from: Ég fékk pakka frá ömmu minni. See frá.
  • hjá: at someone's place, with: Við gistum hjá vinum okkar. See hjá.
  • af: of, off: glas af vatni (a glass of water), Hún datt af hjólinu (She fell off the bike).
  • úr: out of, made of: út úr húsinu, hringur úr gulli (a ring made of gold).
  • að: to, up to: Hann gekk að glugganum.
  • gegn: against: Ísland keppti gegn Noregi (Iceland played against Norway).
  • handa: for, meant for someone: Þetta er handa þér.
  • á móti: opposite, against: Hún sat á móti mér. The case comes from móti.

frá, af or úr? úr is out of the inside of something: úr töskunni. af is off a surface, or "of": af borðinu. frá is from a person or a place: frá mömmu, frá Íslandi.

Three different words spelled að. The preposition að takes the dative. It is not the same word as the infinitive marker að or the conjunction að (that).

með is not in this group: it usually takes the dative, but it can also take the accusative.

Examples (6)

  1. Ég fékk pakka frá ömmu minni.

    I got a parcel from my grandmother.

    Word by Word: I got parcel from grandmother my.

  2. Hún tók símann upp úr töskunni.

    She took the phone out of her bag.

    Word by Word: She took the phone up out-of the bag.

    The phone moves, but úr still takes the dative: töskunni.

  3. Má ég fá glas af vatni?

    May I have a glass of water?

    Word by Word: May I get glass of water?

  4. Þetta er handa þér.

    This is for you.

  5. Hann gekk að glugganum og leit út.

    He walked to the window and looked out.

    Word by Word: He walked to the window and looked out.

  6. Við gistum hjá vinum okkar í Borgarnesi.

    We stayed with our friends in Borgarnes.

    Word by Word: We stayed at friends our in Borgarnes.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the accusative because something moves.

    Hún tók símann úr töskuna.
    Hún tók símann úr töskunni.

    úr always takes the dative, even when something moves out of a place.

  • Using an accusative pronoun after handa.

    Þetta er handa þig.
    Þetta er handa þér.

    handa takes the dative, so use þér, not þig.

How It Connects

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

Prepositions With the DativeLevel 3

Learn This First

Dative prepositions build on hjá, frá and með.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

hjáafúraðgegnhandaá móti