Á safninu er mikill fjöldi ferðamanna um sumarið.

to be

Breakdown of Á safninu er mikill fjöldi ferðamanna um sumarið.

• á: in
• sumarið: the summer
• um: during

Questions & Answers about Á safninu er mikill fjöldi ferðamanna um sumarið.

Why is it á safninu and not something like í safninu? What does á mean here?

Both á and í can translate as in / at / on in English, but they’re used differently in Icelandic.

• á safninu here means at the museum (as a location where something happens).
• í safninu would more strongly suggest inside the museum (physically inside the building).

With many public places and institutions (e.g. museums, offices, schools), Icelandic often uses á when English would say at:

• á safninu – at the museum
• á spítalanum – at the hospital
• á skrifstofunni – at the office

So á here gives the natural, idiomatic way to say at the museum as a location where there are many tourists.

What does the ending in safninu mean? How is this form built?