Questions & Answers about Tafir á netinu pirra mig.
Why is netinu in the dative case?
Because the preposition á when indicating a static location or context (“on the Internet”) governs the dative in Icelandic. Here netinu is the dative singular definite form of net (“net/Internet”).
How exactly is netinu formed from the base noun?
Start with the base noun net. To make it definite, you add the suffix -ið, giving netið. Then you add the dative ending -u to that form, resulting in netinu (definite dative singular).
Why is the preposition á used here instead of í?
In Icelandic, certain contexts use á rather than í even though in English both translate as “in/on.” When talking about being “on the Internet,” the normal idiomatic choice is á netinu. You could sometimes hear í netinu, but á netinu is by far the more natural and frequent construction.
What grammatical role does Tafir á netinu play in this sentence?
Tafir á netinu is the subject (the thing doing the annoying). It’s a full noun phrase composed of the noun tafir (“delays”) plus the locative phrase á netinu.