Póstkortin frá ferðamönnunum hanga á veggnum í stofunni.

The postcards from the tourists hang on the wall in the living room.

Breakdown of Póstkortin frá ferðamönnunum hanga á veggnum í stofunni.

• á: on
• í: in
• frá: from
• stofan: the living room
• veggurinn: the wall
• ferðamaðurinn: the tourist
• póstkortið: the postcard
• hanga: to hang

Questions & Answers about Póstkortin frá ferðamönnunum hanga á veggnum í stofunni.

Why does póstkortin end in -in if it’s plural? Isn’t -in usually a singular definite ending?

Here it’s because póstkort is a neuter noun.

For many neuter nouns, the indefinite form is the same in singular and plural, and the definite plural ends in -in:

• (ett) póstkort – a postcard (sg, indefinite)
• (mörg) póstkort – postcards (pl, indefinite)
• póstkortið – the postcard (sg, definite)
• póstkortin – the postcards (pl, definite)

So -in here marks definite plural of a neuter noun whose plural doesn’t add any other ending. It’s not the same as the feminine singular ending in words like bókin “the book” (fem. sg).

How can I tell that póstkortin is plural and not singular in this sentence?

You need to look at agreement and context.

1. The verb is hanga (3rd person plural), not hangir (3rd person singular).

   • Póstkortin hanga … – The postcards hang …
   • Póstkortið hangir … – The postcard hangs …

2. Semantically, it makes sense that many postcards from the tourists are on the wall.

Because the verb is plural, póstkortin must be nominative plural definite: the postcards.

What is going on with frá ferðamönnunum? Why that exact form and not something like frá ferðamönnum or frá ferðamennunum?

Break it down:

• Base noun: ferðamaður – “tourist” (masc.)
• Plural nominative: ferðamenn – “tourists”
• Plural dative (indefinite): ferðamönnum

Now add the definite article in dative plural masculine: -unum

• ferðamönnum
  • -unum → ferðamönnunum

The ö appears because the plural of maður is irregular:
maður → menn → mönnum, and this pattern is preserved in ferðamaður → ferðamenn → ferðamönnum → ferðamönnunum.

So:

• frá ferðamönnum = from (some) tourists
• frá ferðamönnunum = from the tourists (dative plural definite)

Frá always takes the dative, so you can’t use nominative ferðamenn or a form like ferðamennunum here.

Why does the preposition frá take the dative case?

In Icelandic, many prepositions always govern a specific case. Frá is one of the prepositions that always take the dative:

• frá – from
  
  • frá honum – from him
  • frá Reykjavík – from Reykjavík
  • frá ferðamönnunum – from the tourists

So the noun phrase after frá must be in the dative. That’s why we get ferðamönnunum (dat. pl. def.), not ferðamenn (nom.) or ferðamennina (acc.).

What’s the difference between frá and af when both can mean “from” in English?

They’re used in different situations:

• frá = “from, originating at / coming from”

  • póstkortin frá ferðamönnunum – postcards (coming) from the tourists
  • bréf frá mömmu – a letter from (my) mom
  • hann kemur frá vinnu – he comes from work

• af = “off, from the surface/edge of something”

  • póstkortin detta af veggnum – the postcards fall off the wall
  • taka bókina af borðinu – take the book off the table

In this sentence, we’re talking about origin/source (who sent them), so frá ferðamönnunum is correct, not af.

Why is the verb hanga used instead of hengja?

Because Icelandic distinguishes between:

• hanga – to hang, be hanging (intransitive, state)
• hengja – to hang (something) up (transitive, you cause it to hang)

Compare:

• Ég hengdi póstkortin á vegginn.
  I hung the postcards on the wall. (I performed the action.)

• Nú hanga póstkortin á veggnum.
  Now the postcards are hanging on the wall. (They are in that state.)

In your sentence, the postcards are simply hanging there, so hanga is the right verb.

Why does the verb appear as hanga here and not hangir?

It’s because the subject póstkortin is plural, so the verb is in 3rd person plural:

• Póstkortin hanga á veggnum … – The postcards hang / are hanging on the wall …
• Póstkortið hangir á veggnum … – The postcard hangs / is hanging on the wall …

So hanga here is the plural present indicative form agreeing with a plural subject.

Why is it á veggnum and not á vegginn?

The preposition á can take accusative or dative, depending on meaning:

• á + accusative → movement onto something

  • Hann hengir póstkortin á vegginn.
    He hangs the postcards onto the wall.

• á + dative → location on something (no movement)

  • Póstkortin hanga á veggnum.
    The postcards are hanging on the wall.

In your sentence, the postcards are already on the wall (no motion), so á veggnum (dative) is correct, not á vegginn (accusative).

Can you break down the form veggnum?

Yes. The noun is veggur – “wall” (masc.):

• Nom. sg.: veggur – a wall
• Acc./Dat. sg. (indefinite): vegg
• With the definite dative singular ending -num: veggnum – on the wall

So:

• á vegg – on a wall (rare in this context; usually you’d specify)
• á veggnum – on the wall

Why is it í stofunni and not í stofuna?

Like á, the preposition í can take accusative or dative:

• í + accusative → movement into something

  • Hann fer í stofuna. – He goes into the living room.

• í + dative → location inside something

  • Hann er í stofunni. – He is in the living room.

In your sentence, the postcards are located in the living room, so í stofunni (dative) is correct.

Form breakdown:

• Base noun: stofa – living room (fem.)
• Dat. sg. (indefinite): stofu
• Dat. sg. definite (feminine ending -nni): stofunni

Hence: í stofunni – in the living room.

What are the genders and cases of all the nouns in this sentence?

Here’s a quick overview:

• póstkortin

  • Gender: neuter
  • Case: nominative plural definite
  • Role: subject (the postcards)

• ferðamönnunum

  • Gender: masculine
  • Case: dative plural definite
  • Governed by frá (from the tourists)

• veggnum

  • Gender: masculine
  • Case: dative singular definite
  • Governed by á (location: on the wall)

• stofunni

  • Gender: feminine
  • Case: dative singular definite
  • Governed by í (location: in the living room)

Is the word order hanga á veggnum í stofunni fixed, or can I change it?

Icelandic word order in such adverbial phrases is fairly flexible. You could say:

• Póstkortin frá ferðamönnunum hanga á veggnum í stofunni.
• Póstkortin frá ferðamönnunum hanga í stofunni á veggnum.

Both are grammatical. The usual pattern is to put:

1. The verb early (here: hanga),
2. Then the more specific location (á veggnum – on the wall),
3. Then the broader location (í stofunni – in the living room).

Changing the order can sound a bit less neutral or slightly change the emphasis, but it’s not wrong.