Breakdown of Það er verið að nota stóru vinnuvélina á framkvæmdasvæðinu.
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
stór
big
að
to (infinitive marker)
nota
to use
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
framkvæmdasvæðið
the construction site
vinnuvélin
the construction machine
Questions & Answers about Það er verið að nota stóru vinnuvélina á framkvæmdasvæðinu.
How does Það er verið að nota translate to "is being used"?
This is the impersonal continuous passive. To say that an action is currently happening to something, Icelandic uses the dummy subject Það followed by er verið að and the infinitive verb. It literally translates to "It is being to use," which is the natural way to say "is being used" in Icelandic.
Why is stóru vinnuvélina in the accusative case here when it translates to the English subject?
In the Það er verið að construction, the logical object of the action does not become the nominative subject. It keeps the case governed by the infinitive verb. Because nota always takes an accusative object, vinnuvélina stays in the accusative case.
Why does the adjective take the form stóru here?
Vinnuvél is a feminine noun. Because it has the definite article attached (-ina), the preceding adjective must use the weak declension. For a feminine accusative noun, the weak form of the adjective stór is stóru.
Why does á framkvæmdasvæðinu use the dative case?
The preposition á takes the dative case when it indicates a fixed location or a state of rest (where something is). Since the machine is being used at the site, svæði takes the neuter dative definite ending -nu.
Learn Það er verið að nota stóru vinnuvélina á framkvæmdasvæðinu 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