Learning the strong adjective forms for the dative plural in Icelandic comes with a handy shortcut: the ending is exactly the same for all three genders!
Whether a noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter, the strong dative plural adjective ending is always -um (for example, fornum for "ancient"). Because the standard dative plural ending for nouns is also -um, you will often hear a satisfying rhyme between the adjective and the noun it describes.
Prepositions triggering the dative
As you explore galleries and collections, you will use prepositions like af (of/from), með (with), í (in), and á (on/at). When describing plural items after these prepositions, use the -um ending on both the adjective and the noun.
Here are some examples with af:
| The collector is full of interesting ideas. | Safnarinn er fullur af áhugaverðum hugmyndum. |
| The gallery buys the painting from remarkable artists. | Galleríið kaupir málverkið af merkilegum listamönnum. |
The same pattern applies with með:
| The collector shows us the book with special photographs. | Safnarinn sýnir okkur bókina með sérstökum ljósmyndum. |
| I want to work with interesting artists. | Mig langar að vinna með áhugaverðum listamönnum. |
And for expressing static location using í and á:
| You find the pictures in antique boxes. | Þú finnur myndirnar í fornum kössum. |
| We see each other at interesting museums. | Við sjáumst á áhugaverðum söfnum. |