Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Við skruppum á kaffihús eftir fundinn af því að við áttum smá tíma. - We popped into a café after the meeting because we had a little time.

Við skruppum á kaffihús eftir fundinn af því að við áttum smá tíma.

We popped into a café after the meeting because we had a little time.

Breakdown of Við skruppum á kaffihús eftir fundinn af því að við áttum smá tíma.

Questions & Answers about Við skruppum á kaffihús eftir fundinn af því að við áttum smá tíma.

What does skruppum mean, and what is its base form?

Skruppum is the 1st person plural past tense of skreppa.

In this sentence, skreppa means something like to pop over, to go quickly, or to make a short trip. It often suggests a brief, casual outing rather than a long or serious journey.

So Við skruppum ... means we went/popped over ... in a quick, informal sense.

Why is it á kaffihús and not í kaffihús?

This is mostly an idiomatic preposition choice.

In Icelandic, some places are commonly used with á, even when English would use to or at. Kaffihús is one of those expressions:

fara á kaffihús = go to a café

Also, because there is movement toward the place, the noun is in the accusative:

á kaffihús = to a café

If you were talking about being at the café rather than going there, you would usually see:

á kaffihúsi = at a café / in a café

Why is there no word for a before kaffihús?