Breakdown of Við keyrum á bensínstöðina.
við
we
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
keyra
to drive
bensínstöðin
the petrol station
Questions & Answers about Við keyrum á bensínstöðina.
Why do we use á here instead of til to mean "to"?
In Icelandic, different places pair with different prepositions. While til is used for going to people or most countries, open areas, lots, and certain public services like a petrol station (bensínstöð) use á (literally "on").
Why is bensínstöðina in the accusative case instead of the dative case?
The preposition á triggers different cases depending on the action. Because there is motion towards a destination (driving to it), á takes the accusative case. If we were already located there without moving towards it, it would take the dative case (á bensínstöðinni).
How does the word bensínstöðina break down?
It is a compound word made of bensín (petrol or gas) and stöð (station). The -ina at the end is the feminine definite article meaning "the". It is in the accusative case to match the motion of the sentence, and it attaches directly to the end of the noun.
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