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Hún vinnur í stóru fyrirtæki í miðbænum.

Hún vinnur í stóru fyrirtæki í miðbænum.
She works in a big company downtown.

Breakdown of Hún vinnur í stóru fyrirtæki í miðbænum.

stór
big
hún
she
vinna
to work
í
in
miðbærinn
the downtown
fyrirtækið
the company
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Questions & Answers about Hún vinnur í stóru fyrirtæki í miðbænum.

Why does í take the dative here, and when would it take the accusative?

Í governs:

  • the dative for location (where something is): í miðbænum = in the city center (dative, definite)
  • the accusative for motion (into/onto): í miðbæinn = into the city center (accusative, definite)

Compare:

  • Static: Hún vinnur í miðbænum.
  • Motion: Hún fer í miðbæinn.

With the company:

  • Static: í fyrirtækinu (in/at the company, dative)
  • Motion: í fyrirtækið (into the company building, accusative)
Why is it stóru and not stórt before fyrirtæki?

Because after í (location), the noun phrase is in the dative, and the adjective must agree. For the adjective stór in neuter singular:

  • Nominative/accusative (indef.): stórt fyrirtæki
  • Dative (indef.): stóru fyrirtæki

So we get í stóru fyrirtæki (in a big company). If the phrase were definite, the adjective would take the weak ending: í stóra fyrirtækinu (in the big company).

What case and gender is fyrirtæki, and does it change form here?

Fyrirtæki is neuter. In the singular, its nominative, accusative, and dative forms are all fyrirtæki (no change). The genitive singular is fyrirtækis. Plural forms include:

  • Nominative/accusative plural: fyrirtæki
  • Dative plural: fyrirtækjum So here, í stóru fyrirtæki is dative singular neuter (indefinite), with the adjective showing the case.
What does the ending -num in miðbænum mean?

It’s the suffixed definite article in the dative singular for masculine nouns. Base noun: miðbær (city/town center).

  • Indefinite dative: í miðbæ = in a city center
  • Definite dative: í miðbænum = in the city center (i.e., downtown) The article is attached to the noun (Icelandic has no separate “the” word in most cases).
Can I use hjá instead of í with vinna?

Yes, but the nuance changes:

  • vinna hjá
    • company = work for/be employed by that company: Hún vinnur hjá stóru fyrirtæki.
  • vinna í
    • place = work in/at a place (physical location or environment): Hún vinnur í stóru fyrirtæki. Both are common; hjá is more explicit about the employer, while í emphasizes the workplace as a location.
Where are the words “a” and “the” in this Icelandic sentence?

Icelandic has no separate word for the indefinite article “a”. Indefinite is just nothing: í stóru fyrirtæki = in a big company. The definite article “the” is a suffix on the noun:

  • Nominative: fyrirtækið = the company
  • Dative: fyrirtækinu = in the company With a definite adjective, the adjective takes weak endings: í stóra fyrirtækinu = in the big company.
How do I say “She is working … (right now)” instead of a general habit?

Use the progressive with vera að:

  • Hún er að vinna. = She is working (now). To include employer/place:
  • Hún er að vinna hjá stóru fyrirtæki í miðbænum. The simple present Hún vinnur … is typically habitual or general.
Any quick pronunciation tips for this sentence?
  • Main stress is on the first syllable of each word: HÚN VIN-nur í STÓ-ru FYR-ir-tæ-ki í MIÐ-bæ-num.
  • ú (in Hún) is like “oo” in “soon”.
  • u (in vinnur, stóru) is a short, rounded vowel (somewhat like the u in “put” but tighter).
  • ó is like the “o” in “go”.
  • æ (in miðbænum) is like “eye”.
  • ð is the soft th in “this”.
  • Double nn indicates a long n; r is tapped/flapped.
Why is the order “í stóru fyrirtæki í miðbænum”? Can I swap them?

Stacked location phrases often go from more specific to broader: workplace first, then the area. You can swap for emphasis or style:

  • Hún vinnur í miðbænum, í stóru fyrirtæki.
  • Í miðbænum vinnur hún í stóru fyrirtæki. All are grammatical; word order is fairly flexible for information structure.
How would I make it plural, like “She works in big companies downtown”?

Use the dative plural for both adjective and noun:

  • Hún vinnur í stórum fyrirtækjum í miðbænum. Here, stórum (adj.) and fyrirtækjum (noun) are dative plural.
Is miðbær the only way to say “downtown”? What about miðborg?

Both exist:

  • miðbær = town/city center (very common in everyday speech, even in cities)
  • miðborg = city center (more formal/technical) Definite datives: í miðbænum, í miðborginni. In Reykjavík you’ll see both; miðbær is extremely common in conversation.
Could I use a more formal verb than vinnur?

Yes. starfar is a common, more formal/literary choice meaning “works/is employed”:

  • Hún starfar hjá stóru fyrirtæki í miðbænum. It emphasizes professional employment a bit more than everyday vinnur.