Breakdown of Dreifum kynningarefninu í búðirnar.
búðin
the shop
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
kynningarefnið
the promotional material
dreifa
to distribute
Questions & Answers about Dreifum kynningarefninu í búðirnar.
Why does the sentence just start with Dreifum instead of Við dreifum?
By putting the verb first in the 1st person plural (dreifum), it creates an exhortation, meaning "Let's distribute." If it were Við dreifum, it would just be a standard statement: "We distribute" or "We are distributing." You could also say Við skulum dreifa to mean the exact same thing as Dreifum.
Why is kynningarefninu in the dative case here?
The verb dreifa (to distribute or spread) dictates that the thing being distributed must take the dative case. So, the neuter noun kynningarefnið (the promotional material) becomes kynningarefninu.
How does the compound word kynningarefninu break down?
It is made of kynning (presentation, introduction, or promotion) and efni (material). The -ar in the middle is a genitive linking letter, and the -nu at the end is the neuter dative definite article meaning "the".
Why is búðirnar in the accusative case after í, rather than the dative?
The preposition í takes the accusative case when it describes movement toward a destination (distributing the materials into or to the stores). If the sentence was describing something already located inside the stores, í would take the dative case (í búðunum).
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