sig Across Clauses

Level 6

Jón segir að María elski sig. (Jón says that María loves him, meaning Jón.)

How It Works

The normal rule. sig, sér and sín refer to the subject of their own clause: María elskar sig (María loves herself).

The long reach. In a clause with a subjunctive verb, sig can also refer to the subject of the main clause:

  • Jón segir að María elski sig. (Jón says that María loves him.) Here sig can mean Jón.
  • Hún sagði að ég hefði svikið sig. (She said that I had betrayed her.) sig cannot refer to ég, so it points to hún.

This happens with verbs of saying, thinking, hoping and wishing, which take the subjunctive: segja, halda, vona, vilja. It also reaches into infinitive clauses: Pétur bað mig að hjálpa sér. (Pétur asked me to help him.)

The indicative blocks it. After verbs like vita (know), the clause is indicative, and sig stays in its own clause. To mean Jón, use hann: Jón veit að María elskar hann.

sinn works the same way. Ólafur heldur að Sigga hafi tekið bílinn sinn can mean Sigga's own car or Ólafur's car. Context decides.

Two more points. sig is always third person, so it never refers to ég or þú. An ordinary pronoun like hann is also possible in a subjunctive clause, but it can just as well mean some other man. sig can only mean the main subject or the subject of its own clause, so Jón segir að María elski sig can also mean that María loves herself. Context decides.

Examples (6)

  1. Jón segir að María elski sig.

    Jón says that María loves him. (It can also mean herself.)

    Word by Word: Jón says that María love(SUBJ) self.

    The subjunctive elski lets sig refer back to Jón.

  2. Hún sagði að ég hefði svikið sig.

    She said that I had betrayed her.

    Word by Word: She said that I had(SUBJ) betrayed self.

    sig cannot mean ég, so it refers to hún.

  3. Anna vonar að allir muni eftir sér.

    Anna hopes that everyone will remember her.

    Word by Word: Anna hopes that all remember(SUBJ) after self.

  4. Pétur bað mig að hjálpa sér.

    Pétur asked me to help him.

    Word by Word: Pétur asked me to help self.

  5. Ólafur heldur að Sigga hafi tekið bílinn sinn.

    Ólafur thinks that Sigga has taken her car. (It can also mean his car.)

    Word by Word: Ólafur holds that Sigga have(SUBJ) taken the-car own.

    sinn can point to Sigga or to Ólafur.

  6. Jón veit að María elskar hann.

    Jón knows that María loves him.

    Word by Word: Jón knows that María loves him.

    vita takes the indicative, so use hann to mean Jón.

Common Mistakes

  • Using sig for a first- or second-person referent.

    Ég segi að María elski sig. (meaning: loves me)
    Ég segi að María elski mig.

    sig is always third person, so here it can only mean María herself. To mean me, use mig.

  • Using sig to reach the main subject across an indicative clause.

    Jón veit að María elskar sig. (meaning: loves Jón)
    Jón veit að María elskar hann.

    After vita the clause is indicative, so sig can only mean María herself. Use hann to mean Jón.

How It Connects

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

sig Across ClausesLevel 6

Learn This First

Long-distance sig builds on sig and reported speech.

Words in This Pattern

sigsérsínsinnsinn