Breakdown of Það var lítið hreindýr úti í hrauninu.
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
lítill
small / a little (small amount)
úti
outside
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
hreindýrið
the reindeer
hraunið
the lava
Questions & Answers about Það var lítið hreindýr úti í hrauninu.
Why do we start this sentence with Það instead of just saying Lítið hreindýr var úti í hrauninu?
This is the existential það, functioning exactly like 'there' in the English translation 'There was...'. In Icelandic, we almost always use this dummy subject to introduce a new, indefinite noun (like a small reindeer) into a story. Starting a sentence directly with an indefinite subject like Lítið hreindýr sounds very unnatural in Icelandic.
Since það is in the subject position, what case is lítið hreindýr in?
It is in the nominative case. Even though það occupies the first spot in the sentence as a placeholder, lítið hreindýr is the logical subject—it is the thing that actually exists or 'was'. The verb vera (to be) connects to this logical subject, so both the noun and its adjective stay in the nominative form.
Why do we use the adverb úti instead of út?
We use úti because it describes a static location, meaning the reindeer is already outside. If the sentence described the reindeer running 'out' into the lava, you would use the motion-directed word út. Icelandic strictly distinguishes between being at a location and moving towards a location.
Why is hrauninu in the dative case?
The preposition í takes the dative case when it describes a stationary position or location, answering the question 'where?'. Because the reindeer is simply located in the lava without moving into it from the outside, hrauninu takes the dative form instead of the accusative.
Learn Það var lítið hreindýr úti í hrauninu and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free