Verbs With Two Objects

Level 3

Ég gaf henni bók (I gave her a book): the one who receives is in the dative, and the thing is in the accusative.

How It Works

Verbs with two objects.

  • gefa (give): Ég gaf henni bók.
  • senda (send): Sendu mér skilaboð.
  • sýna (show): Sýndu mér myndina.
  • segja (tell): Hann sagði mér söguna.
  • lána (lend): Geturðu lánað mér penna?
  • rétta (pass, hand): Réttu mér saltið.

Word order. The person usually comes first: Ég gaf mömmu blóm. When the thing is already known and the person is the new information, the thing can come first: Ég gaf bókina bróður mínum. Short pronoun objects usually come before ekki, while a full noun can stay after it: Ég sagði henni það ekki, but Ég sagði henni ekki söguna (see pronoun before ekki).

segja: tell or say. segja + dative means tell someone: Segðu mér satt (Tell me the truth). To say something to someone, use segja við + accusative: Hvað sagði hann við þig? To tell about something, use segja frá + dative: Segðu mér frá ferðinni.

Doing something for someone. With verbs like kaupa (buy) and búa til (make), say who it is for with handa + dative: Ég keypti blóm handa mömmu. The reflexive sér is also common: Hún keypti sér nýjan síma (She bought herself a new phone; see the reflexive pronoun).

In the passive the person keeps the dative: Mér var sagt að bíða (I was told to wait; see the passive keeps the dative).

Examples (6)

  1. Ég gaf henni bók í afmælisgjöf.

    I gave her a book for her birthday.

    Word by Word: I gave her(dat) book(acc) in birthday-gift.

  2. Sýndu mér myndina!

    Show me the picture!

    Word by Word: Show-you me(dat) the-picture(acc)!

  3. Hann sagði mér söguna um tröllið.

    He told me the story about the troll.

    Word by Word: He told me(dat) the-story(acc) about the-troll.

  4. Geturðu lánað mér penna?

    Can you lend me a pen?

    Word by Word: Can-you lent me(dat) pen(acc)?

  5. Réttu mér saltið, takk.

    Pass me the salt, please.

    Word by Word: Pass-you me(dat) the-salt(acc), thanks.

  6. Ég sendi þér skilaboð í kvöld.

    I'll send you a message tonight.

    Word by Word: I send you(dat) message(acc) in evening.

    The present tense is often used for the future.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the person who receives in the accusative.

    Ég gaf hana bók.
    Ég gaf henni bók.

    The person who receives something is in the dative. hana is accusative; the dative is henni.

  • Using the accusative pronoun after segja when you mean "tell me".

    Hann sagði mig söguna.
    Hann sagði mér söguna.

    The person you tell is in the dative: mér. The thing you tell, söguna, is in the accusative.

How It Connects

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Verbs With Two ObjectsLevel 3

Learn This First

Two objects build on dative verbs.

Words in This Pattern

gefasendasýnalánarétta