Prepositions are small words that connect different parts of a sentence.

In Faroese, these tiny words have a massive impact on the nouns that follow them.

Every preposition forces the following noun into a specific grammatical case.

Understanding which case a preposition requires is a core part of learning Faroese grammar.

This guide breaks down exactly how Faroese prepositions trigger the accusative, dative, or genitive cases.

How Faroese prepositions dictate noun cases

Prepositions are words like “in”, “on”, “under”, and “with”.

They tell us where something is or how things relate to each other.

In Faroese, the noun that comes immediately after a preposition changes its ending.

This change is called a grammatical case.

Some prepositions always require the accusative case.

Others always demand the dative case.

A very small number of prepositions require the genitive case.

Finally, there’s a special group of prepositions that can take either the accusative or the dative.

The choice between the two depends on whether there’s movement or a stationary position.

Faroese prepositions that take the accusative case

Some prepositions in Faroese will always trigger the accusative case.

This means the noun following them must be conjugated in the accusative form.

Here are the most common Faroese prepositions that strictly take the accusative case:

Here’s an example of the preposition um (about) in action.

Notice how the noun drongur (boy) changes to its accusative form drongin (the boy).

Here’s another example using uttan (without) with the accusative word for milk (mjólk).

Faroese prepositions that take the dative case

The dative case is heavily used with prepositions in Faroese.

Many of the most common words that indicate origin, separation, or association require this case.

Here are the main Faroese prepositions that only take the dative case:

If you want to say you’re coming from a specific place, you use frá followed by the dative.

In this example, hús (house) becomes húsinum (the house) in the dative case.

The preposition hjá is incredibly common for expressing possession or staying at someone’s home.

Faroese prepositions that take the genitive case

The genitive case is slowly disappearing from everyday spoken Faroese.

However, it’s strictly preserved after a few specific prepositions.

Here are the main prepositions that require the genitive case:

The preposition til (to) is the most frequent trigger for the genitive case.

When you say you’re going to a place, the destination must be in the genitive form.

Here’s an example using millum (between).

Prepositions that take both accusative and dative

Some Faroese prepositions play a dual role.

They can take either the accusative or the dative case depending on the context.

The rule for this is based entirely on motion versus position.

If there’s movement towards a destination, you use the accusative case.

If there’s no movement and you’re already in a stationary location, you use the dative case.

Here are the most common two-way prepositions:

Let’s look at í (in/into) using the accusative case for motion.

Notice how the person is actively moving into the boat (bátin).

Now, let’s look at í using the dative case for a stationary position.

The person is already inside the boat (bátinum) and not moving to a new location.

The same rule applies to the preposition á (on/onto).

Here’s an example showing motion onto the table using the accusative case.

And here’s the stationary version using the dative case.