Sýningin er á safninu.

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.

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.

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.

This is a very natural question, because both can relate to place.

Very roughly:

• í often means in, inside
• á can mean on, at, and in many place expressions it is just the preposition Icelandic uses idiomatically

With places like institutions or venues, Icelandic often uses á where English might say at or even in.

So á safninu is the normal expression here. You should think of it as a phrase to learn as a unit, not always as a literal on the museum.

Er is the 3rd person singular present tense of vera, the verb to be.

So:

• ég er = I am
• þú ert = you are
• hann/hún/það er = he/she/it is

Since sýningin is a singular noun, Icelandic uses er:

• Sýningin er ... = The exhibition is ...

This is the normal basic word order:

• Sýningin = subject
• er = verb
• á safninu = location phrase

So the structure is basically:

subject + verb + place

That is very similar to English: The exhibition is at the museum.

Icelandic can change word order in some contexts, especially in questions or for emphasis, but this sentence is neutral and standard.

It is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.

In this sentence:

• Sýningin = nominative, because it is what the sentence is about
• safninu = dative, because it follows the preposition á in a location meaning

So this sentence is a good example of two different cases appearing together.

In Icelandic, many prepositions govern a specific case, and some can take different cases depending on meaning.

With á:

• dative is commonly used for location/state
• accusative is commonly used for movement toward a place/surface

Here the sentence describes where the exhibition is, not movement, so dative is used:

• á safninu = location

This location-vs-movement pattern is important in Icelandic.

Usually it means the exhibition is at the museum, and in many real contexts that will indeed mean it is being held there, often inside it. But the Icelandic phrase is not necessarily focusing on the exact physical interior in the way an English learner might expect from in.

It is often better to understand á safninu as the natural Icelandic way to say the exhibition is at the museum.

A rough guide for English speakers:

• sý sounds roughly like see with a pure long vowel
• ning like ning in winning
• in at the end is short and light

So approximately: SEE-ning-in

But keep in mind:

• Icelandic ý is pronounced like í
• the stress is normally on the first syllable

So the stress is on SÝ-.

Roughly:

SAHP-nih-noo

A few helpful points:

• stress is on the first syllable: SAF-
• fn can be a little tricky for learners
• the final -u is pronounced, not silent

The exact Icelandic pronunciation is more precise than this rough guide, but this approximation can help you start saying it.

It might be understandable in some contexts, but it would not be the most natural phrasing for this sentence if the intended meaning is that the exhibition is being held at the museum.

Á safninu is the idiomatic choice here.

Using í would emphasize being inside the museum, and even then it may sound less natural depending on context. For learners, the safest choice is to remember:

• sýning á safninu = a natural Icelandic expression

Because Icelandic often expresses the as a suffix attached to the noun.

Compare:

• English: the exhibition
• Icelandic: sýningin

And:

• English: the museum
• Icelandic: safnið / safninu depending on case

This is one of the most important structural differences between English and Icelandic.

The dictionary forms are:

• sýning = exhibition
• vera = to be
• á = on, at
• safn = museum

The full sentence uses inflected forms:

• sýningin from sýning
• er from vera
• safninu from safn

So when you look words up, you usually need the base form, not the exact form you see in the sentence.