Breakdown of Stéttarfélagið hjálpar fólki í vinnunni.
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
vinnan
the work
hjálpa
to help
fólkið
the people
stéttarfélagið
the trade union
Questions & Answers about Stéttarfélagið hjálpar fólki í vinnunni.
Why is the word for people spelled fólki here instead of just fólk?
The verb hjálpa (to help) governs the dative case, meaning the object receiving the help must always be in the dative. Therefore, the neuter noun fólk takes its dative ending to become fólki.
In English we say "at work" without a "the", so why does Icelandic use the definite form vinnunni?
Icelandic often uses the definite article in general expressions of place or daily routines where English does not. When talking about being at your workplace, the natural phrase is í vinnunni, which literally means "in the work".
How do the grammar endings on vinnunni break down?
The root word is the feminine noun vinna (work). The preposition í takes the dative case when describing a stationary location, changing vinna to vinnu. Then, the dative feminine definite article suffix -nni is added to the end, creating vinnunni.
How is the compound word Stéttarfélagið put together?
It combines stétt (profession or social class) in the genitive connecting case (stéttar) with félag (association or union). The -ið at the very end is the neuter definite article, giving us "the trade union".
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