Sýningin er á safninu.

The exhibition is at the museum.

Breakdown of Sýningin er á safninu.

• vera: to be
• á: in
• safnið: the museum
• sýningin: the exhibition; show

Questions & Answers about Sýningin er á safninu.

Why does sýning become sýningin?

Because Icelandic usually puts the definite article onto the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

• sýning = exhibition
• sýningin = the exhibition

So -in here is the definite article. This is very common in Icelandic.

Why does safn become safninu?

There are two things happening in safninu:

1. the noun is made definite
2. it is put in the dative case

So:

• safn = museum
• safnið = the museum (nominative/accusative form)
• safninu = the museum in the dative

The preposition á often requires the dative when it describes location, which is why you get á safninu.

Why is it á safninu and not just safninu?

Because Icelandic normally uses a preposition here, just as English does with at or in.

• á safninu = at the museum / at the exhibition venue
• depending on context, English might translate this in slightly different ways

You usually need á to show where something is happening.