Í bókasafninu er betra að vera þögull en hávær.

to be

Breakdown of Í bókasafninu er betra að vera þögull en hávær.

• í: in
• betri: better
• bókasafn: the library

Questions & Answers about Í bókasafninu er betra að vera þögull en hávær.

What does the ending -inu in bókasafninu mean?

Bókasafninu is the dative singular definite form of bókasafn (a neuter noun meaning library).

• bókasafn – a library
• bókasafni – dative singular indefinite
• bókasafninu – dative singular definite = in the library

So -inu here shows both:

• case: dative (because of the preposition í indicating location), and
• definiteness: the library, not just a library.

Why is bókasafninu in the dative case here?

Because of the preposition í and its meaning in this sentence.

Í can take either:

• accusative: when it means into (movement into something)
• dative: when it means in / inside (location, no movement)

Here the meaning is in the library (a static location), so í requires the dative:

• Í bókasafninu = in the library (dative)
  Compare:
• Ég fer í bókasafnið = I go into the library (accusative, movement)

Could you also say á bókasafninu instead of í bókasafninu? What is the difference?