Dýrunum

Dýrunum is the dative plural definite form of the Icelandic noun dýr, which means animal. In Icelandic grammar, nouns are inflected for case, number, and definiteness, and dýrunum specifically marks the indirect object in a sentence or indicates the recipient or beneficiary when referring to more than one animal. In English, it would correspond to phrases like “to the animals” or, in contexts where the dative expresses purpose or benefit, “for the animals.”

Usage and examples help illustrate its function. For example, in the sentence Ég gaf dýrunum mat, the word dýrunum means “to the animals,” showing that the animals are the recipient of the food. Another example might be Húsið var fyrir dýrunum, meaning “The house was for the animals,” where the dative plural definite form again marks the affected group. Dýrunum is thus primarily a grammatical form rather than a standalone lexical entry; it appears in everyday Icelandic whenever the indirect object or beneficiary is a definite, plural group of animals.

Relation to other forms is straightforward: the basic plural form is dýr (animals, indefinite), while dýrin is the definite nominative/accusative form, and dýrunum is the definite dative plural. This pattern reflects Icelandic’s system of case marking and definite articles, which lets speakers specify syntactic roles and specificity without relying on word order alone.