Questions & Answers about Ég bíð nálægt bankanum.
Why is the noun in the form bankanum here?
Because nálægt governs the dative case. Banki (a bank) is a weak masculine noun; its definite dative singular is bankanum.
- Nominative definite: bankinn (the bank, as subject)
- Accusative definite: bankann (after e.g., við)
- Dative definite: bankanum (after nálægt, hjá)
- Genitive definite: bankans
What exactly is nálægt here, and which case does it take?
Nálægt is a preposition meaning “near/close to” and it takes the dative case: nálægt + dative (e.g., nálægt bankanum, nálægt húsinu). It can also be an adverb (“nearby”) with no complement, or the neuter form of the adjective nálægur (“near”), but in this sentence it’s a preposition.
Could I use við or hjá instead of nálægt? What’s the difference?