Sitting By The Window
When you want to describe something located directly next to or at an object, use the preposition við (by, at, next to). For spatial proximity, við requires the noun that follows it to be in the accusative case.
Let's look at how this applies to choosing where to sit. The word for "the window" is glugginn, which becomes gluggann in the accusative. The word for "the aisle" is gangurinn, which becomes ganginn.
| The man wants to sit by the window. | Maðurinn vill sitja við gluggann. |
| The passenger wants to sit by the aisle, not by the window. | Farþeginn vill sitja við ganginn, ekki við gluggann. |
When referring to the seats themselves, use compound words like gluggasætið (the window seat) and gangsætið (the aisle seat). Because sætið is a neuter noun, its form stays exactly the same in the accusative case.
| The flight attendant (m) is standing by the window seat. | Flugþjónninn stendur við gluggasætið. |
Navigating the Airport
The preposition við is also perfect for arranging where to meet or describing where things are around the airport.
Masculine nouns ending in -urinn usually change to -inn in the accusative case. For example, neyðarútgangurinn (the emergency exit) becomes neyðarútganginn, and inngangurinn (the entrance) becomes innganginn.
| We are sitting by the emergency exit. | Við sitjum við neyðarútganginn. |
| The check-in desk is by the entrance. | Innritunarborðið er við innganginn. |
| Anna and Jón met by the exit yesterday. | Anna og Jón hittust við útganginn í gær. |
Neuter nouns like innritunarborðið (the check-in desk) remain unchanged.
| They speak together by the check-in desk. | Þau tala saman við innritunarborðið. |