At someone's place (hjá)

The preposition hjá translates to "by" or "next to," but is most commonly used to mean "at someone's place." It always takes the dative case.

The exchange student stays overnight at the host family's place.
Skiptineminn gistir hjá fósturfjölskyldunni.

Using Pronouns with "hjá"

To say "at our place" or "at their place," use hjá followed by the dative form of a personal pronoun (like okkur or þeim).

The guest room at their place is very cozy.
Gestaherbergið hjá þeim er mjög huggulegt.

When referring specifically to being at the house, it is common to pair hjá with the adverb heima (at home) to say heima hjá.

The exchange student is at our place tonight.
Skiptineminn er heima hjá okkur í kvöld.

Getting Used to Things

When settling into a new home, you might need time to adjust. Like hjá, the verb venjast (to get used to) requires its object to be in the dative case.

to get used to
venjast
She gets used to the host family and the homesickness decreases.
Hún venst fósturfjölskyldunni og heimþráin minnkar.