When you need to explain why something happened—especially for obstacles or cancellations—use the preposition út af (because of).
| because of (+ dative) | út af |
Út af always requires the noun that follows it to be in the dative case. Notice how a neuter noun with the definite article, like verkfallið (the strike), changes its ending to -inu (verkfallinu).
| We do not work today because of the strike. | Við vinnum ekki í dag út af verkfallinu. |
Weather and Cancellations
When plans change, you will often hear the verb phrase falla niður ("to be cancelled", literally "to fall down"). The neuter noun óveðrið (the storm) also takes the -inu ending in the dative.
| Was the flight cancelled because of the storm? | Féll flugið niður út af óveðrinu? |
Roads and Infrastructure
Vocabulary for societal obstacles often involves feminine nouns. Nouns with the definite article ending in -in (like ófærðin, the impassable roads, or viðgerðin, the repair) change to -inni in the dative case.
| The school is closed because of the impassable roads. | Skólinn er lokaður út af ófærðinni. |
| The road is closed because of the repair. | Vegurinn er lokaður út af viðgerðinni. |
Feminine nouns ending in -an (like hálkan, the ice) change to -unni in the dative.
| She arrived late because of the ice. | Hún kom seint út af hálkunni. |
Words for a delay (töfin) or a breakdown (bilunin) follow the exact same feminine -inni pattern.
| They missed the flight because of the delay. | Þau misstu af fluginu út af töfinni. |
| The elevator does not work because of the breakdown. | Lyftan virkar ekki út af biluninni. |
Earthquakes
For the weak masculine noun jarðskjálftinn (the earthquake), the definite ending -inn changes to -anum in the dative case.
| They woke up because of the earthquake. | Þau vöknuðu út af jarðskjálftanum. |