Breakdown of Fórst þú í tveggja daga vinnuferð í hlutastarfinu hjá þeim?
þú
you
þeir
they (m)
fara
to go
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
tveir
two
dagurinn
the day (m)
hjá
next to / at (someone's) place, with
hlutastarfið
the part-time job
vinnuferðin
the business trip
Questions & Answers about Fórst þú í tveggja daga vinnuferð í hlutastarfinu hjá þeim?
How does the phrase tveggja daga work to mean 'two-day'?
This is a genitive measure phrase. To describe the duration, weight, or size of a noun, Icelandic uses the genitive case. Both tveggja (the genitive form of tveir, meaning 'two') and daga (the genitive plural of dagur, meaning 'days') are in the genitive case to describe the vinnuferð. It literally translates to 'a work trip of two days'.
Why does the preposition í appear twice but affect the following words differently?
The preposition í governs different cases depending on the meaning. The first í implies motion into an event (going 'on' a trip), so it triggers the accusative case for vinnuferð. The second í describes a static situation (being 'in' the job), so it triggers the dative case, changing the noun to hlutastarfinu.
How is the word hlutastarfinu put together?
It is a compound noun made from hluti (part) and starf (job) to mean 'part-time job'. Here, it has the dative definite article attached to the end. The base word starf becomes starfinu, making the full word hlutastarfinu ('the part-time job').
Why does the sentence use hjá þeim for 'for them' instead of using the preposition fyrir?
When talking about an employer or where someone works, Icelandic uses the preposition hjá (at/with) rather than fyrir (for). Hjá always takes the dative case, which is why we see þeim (the dative plural of þeir/þær/þau) instead of the accusative.
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