Breakdown of Búðin lokar klukkan sex.
búðin
the shop
sex
six
klukkan
the clock
loka
to close (+ Dative) / to close (shop/counter shuts)
Questions & Answers about Búðin lokar klukkan sex.
I learned that að loka takes a dative object. Why is búðin in the nominative case here?
When a person closes a shop, the shop is the object and takes the dative case (for example, ég loka búðinni - I close the shop). But when a business closes "itself" as a scheduled event, everyday Icelandic uses it as a nominative subject: búðin lokar. You might also hear the passive version: búðinni er lokað (the shop is closed).
Where is the word for "at" in klukkan sex?
You don't need one! While English uses a preposition for time ("at six"), Icelandic simply says klukkan sex (literally "the clock six"). Adding a preposition like á or við here would be incorrect.
Why does this sentence use klukkan instead of just klukka?
Klukkan is the definite form, meaning "the clock". When stating the time of day in Icelandic, you always use the definite form klukkan rather than the indefinite klukka (a clock).
Would the number sex ever change its ending here?
No. In Icelandic, only the numbers one through four change their endings to match gender and case. Numbers from five and up, like sex, do not change their form.