viðtakar

Viðtaki (plural viðtakar) is the term used in Icelandic grammar for the part of a sentence that denotes the entity affected by the action of the verb. It is commonly translated as “object” in English. The object can be classified as direct or indirect, depending on its relationship to the verb.

The direct object, or beinn viðtaki, receives the action of the verb directly. It is usually marked by the accusative case. Example: Ég les bókina. (I read the book.) Here bókina is the direct object.

The indirect object, or óbeinn viðtaki, indicates to whom or for whom something is done. It is often expressed in the dative case or with prepositional phrases. Example: Ég gaf honum bókina. (I gave him the book.) Here honum is the indirect object, while bókingin is the direct object.

In addition to these, some verbs govern prepositional objects, where the object follows a preposition. Example: Hún hlustaði á tónlistina. (She listened to the music.) The phrase tónlistina is the object of the preposition á, and functions as a type of oblique object.

Word order in Icelandic typically places the verb in the second position, with the object following the subject or preceding it for contrast or emphasis. The form of the object can reflect gender, number, and definiteness, especially in the accusative and dative cases, and pronouns have distinct oblique forms.

Understanding viðtaki is central to syntax and meaning, since the choice and case of the object influence verb valency, prepositional needs, and sentence structure. See also Icelandic grammar, accusative and dative cases, and beinn/óbeinn viðtaki.