Hún vinnur hjá bankanum.

she

Breakdown of Hún vinnur hjá bankanum.

• vinna: to work
• bankinn: the bank
• hjá: at

Questions & Answers about Hún vinnur hjá bankanum.

What does Hún mean, and what are its other forms?

Hún means she and is the nominative singular feminine pronoun. Other cases:

• Accusative: hana (I saw her = Ég sá hana)
• Dative: henni (I spoke to her = Ég talaði við hana / Ég talaði við hana? Actually dative is used after certain prepositions: Ég gaf henni bók)
• Genitive: hennar (her book = bók hennar)

What grammatical form is vinnur?

Vinnur is the present tense, 3rd person singular of the verb að vinna (to work; also to win). Present tense paradigm:

• Ég vinn
• Þú vinnur
• Hann/Hún/Það vinnur
• Við vinnum
• Þið vinnið
• Þeir/Þær/Þau vinna

How do I say “She is working (right now)” in Icelandic?

Use the progressive-like construction vera að + infinitive:

• Hún er að vinna. If you want the location too: Hún er að vinna í bankanum (she is working in the bank right now).

Does vinna also mean “to win”? How do I tell the difference?

Yes. Context tells you which meaning is intended.

• Work: Hún vinnur hjá bankanum. (She works at the bank.)
• Win: Hún vinnur leikinn. (She wins the game.) Note the past tense is the same form for both meanings: Hún vann = She worked / She won (context decides). A common synonym for the “work” meaning is að starfa: Hún starfar hjá bankanum.

What does hjá mean, and which case does it take?

Hjá roughly means “at/with” in the sense of being employed by or associated with someone/someplace. It always governs the dative case:

• Hún vinnur hjá bankanum.
• Hann býr hjá foreldrum sínum. (He lives with his parents — dative plural of foreldri.)

Why is it bankanum and not something like “bankan” or “banki”?

Because hjá requires the dative case, and bankanum is the dative singular definite form of banki (bank). Breakdown:

• Lemma: banki
• Dative singular indefinite: banka
• Dative singular definite: bankanum (banka + -num)

Why is it “the bank” (definite) in Icelandic even if English would allow “a bank”?

Icelandic often uses the definite form with workplaces or institutions when speaking generally about someone’s employer. Hún vinnur hjá bankanum is the natural way to say “She works at the bank.” You can say hún vinnur hjá banka (“for a bank”) if you mean some unspecified bank, but the definite is very common and idiomatic here.

Could I use í, á, or fyrir instead of hjá?

• í + dative focuses on being inside/in an institution: Hún vinnur í bankanum. This also commonly means she works at a bank (as her workplace), not just physically inside.
• á + dative is used with some institutions (e.g., hospitals, offices), but not typically with “bank”: people usually prefer í bankanum or hjá bankanum.
• fyrir + accusative means “for/on behalf of”: Hún vinnur fyrir bankann (she works for the bank, e.g., contracted or in service of it).
• með + dative means “with (together with)”: Hún vinnur með Jóni (she works with Jón).

What’s the word order rule here? Can I front the place phrase?

Icelandic main clauses are generally verb-second (V2). The finite verb stays in second position even if you front something else:

• Neutral: Hún vinnur hjá bankanum.
• Fronted adverbial: Hjá bankanum vinnur hún. (emphasis on “at the bank”)

How do I negate this sentence?

Place ekki after the finite verb:

• Hún vinnur ekki hjá bankanum. (She does not work at the bank.) For “no longer”: Hún vinnur ekki lengur hjá bankanum.

How do I ask questions based on this sentence?

• Yes/no: Move the verb first: Vinnur hún hjá bankanum?
• Where (which place): Hvar vinnur hún?
• Which bank: Hjá hvaða banka vinnur hún? (note dative: banka)

How is the sentence pronounced? Any quick tips?

Rough guide:

• Hún: long ú, like “hoon.”
• vinnur: first syllable stressed; nn is long; learners can say “VIN-nur.” (Colloquially, nn before a vowel can sound a bit like “tn.”)
• hjá: hj is a voiceless “hy” sound; á is like “ow” in “cow”: roughly “hyow.”
• bankanum: nk is “ngk” (as in “bank” in English), so “BANGK-a-num”; the final -um is a short, relaxed “um.” Stress is on the first syllable of each word in Icelandic.

How would this change with other subjects?

• He: Hann vinnur hjá bankanum.
• They (gender-mixed or unspecified): Þau vinna hjá bankanum.
• I/you: Ég vinn hjá bankanum. / Þú vinnur hjá bankanum.

Is vinnur related to vinur (friend)?

No. Vinnur (double n) is a verb form of vinna (work/win). Vinur (single n) is a noun meaning friend (plural vinir). Different words despite the visual similarity.

What are the key forms of banki I should know?

Singular, indefinite vs. definite:

• Nominative: banki / bankinn
• Accusative: banka / bankann
• Dative: banka / bankanum
• Genitive: banka / bankans