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með

The preposition með can take either the accusative or dative. The rules for when it governs what case are particular to this preposition and are not related to movement or a lack of movement.

Accusative​

Með governs the accusative when:

  • Used with vera and the subject is a living being;
  • Used with another verb where the complement (object) of með does not have free will.

Living subject​

Vera með is one of the expressions used in Icelandic to mean “have”. If the subject of vera með – in other words the possessor – is a living creature (human or animal), then the complement of með will be in the accusative:

Jónas er með stóra súkkulaðiköku.
Öll börnin eru með kvef.
Hundurinn er með skítugar lappir.

Complement without free will​

If used with a verb other than vera, með will take the accusative if its complement does not have free will or agency. For example:

Pabbi fer út með hundinn á hverjum morgni.
Amma labbar með krakkana í skólann á morgun.

Here the dog is being taken for a walk – it doesn’t have free will to say no. The same with the kids – they are being taken to school by their grandma – she is not accompanying them as a guest.

Dative​

Með governs the dative when:

  • Used with vera and the subject is a non-living being;
  • Used with another verb where the complement of með has free will;
  • When the complement of með is a tool or means of accompanying the action.

Non-living subject​

If the subject of vera með is an complement or non-living being (i.e. not a human or animal – plants are counted as non-living here), then the complement of með will be in the dative:

Gamli stóllinn er með hörðu baki.
Það er fallegt tré í garðinum með hvítum berjum.
Ég ætla að fá hamborgara með osti og frönskum.

Accompaniments (meðlæti) to a dish are always in the dative case: þorskur með ristuðum kartöflum, steik með sveppum og sósu.

Complement with free will​

If used with a verb other than vera, með will take the dative if its complement has free will or agency. For example:

Í kvöld ætla ég niður í bæinn með stelpunum.
Áhorfendurnir byrjuðu að syngja með kórnum.
Má ég koma með þér upp í sveit um helgina?

Here the complements of með are all people with free will. Let’s take an example from above and change the complement to the dative:

Pabbi fer út með hundinum á hverjum morgni.

Here the meaning has changed. It no longer means “take the dog for a walk”. Instead, the dog has been personified and given free will, and the sentence now means “dad goes out with the dog every morning”. So make sure you are using the right case in these kinds of sentences! 🐶

Instrumental meaning​

If the complement of með is a tool or means of accompanying an action (an instrument), then it will be in the dative:

Kennarinn yfirfór verkefnin með rauðum penna.
Má ég greiða með korti?
Börnin fara í skólann með strætisvagni.

The instrument can be a physical object, as in the examples above, or an abstract concept:

Þingið ætlar að fjármagna nýja spítalann með skattahækkunum.
Við ætlum að hvetja fólk til að kaupa rafbíla með styrkjum og ívilnunum.

Time expressions​

Með can also occur in time expressions, where it always governs the dative:

Ísinn bráðnar með morgninum.
Íslendingum fjölgar með hverju ári.