Breakdown of Þau eru um það bil að opna brottfararhliðið.
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
þau
they (n)
að
to (infinitive marker)
opna
to open
um
about
bilið
the gap
brottfararhliðið
the departure gate
Questions & Answers about Þau eru um það bil að opna brottfararhliðið.
How exactly does um það bil að create the meaning "just about to" here?
On its own, um það bil means "approximately" or "around" (like saying "about 5 o'clock"). When combined with vera (here, eru) and an infinitive verb with að (here, að opna), it forms the immediate future aspect. It translates directly to the English structure "to be about to [do something]".
Why is the neuter plural þau used here for "they"?
In Icelandic, if a group consists of mixed genders, or if the gender of the people is unknown or irrelevant (like the airport staff in this context), you use the neuter plural þau. You would only use þeir (masculine) or þær (feminine) if you knew the group consisted entirely of men or entirely of women.
How do you break down the compound word brottfararhliðið?
It consists of three main parts. Brottför means "departure" (made of brott meaning "away" and för meaning "journey"). The -ar in the middle is the genitive (possessive) ending of brottför, linking it to the next word. Hlið means "gate". Finally, -ið is the attached definite article, making it "the departure gate".
Why doesn't the word brottfararhliðið change its ending if it is the direct object of að opna?
It actually is in the accusative case here because it is the direct object of the verb opna. However, hlið (gate) is a neuter noun, and neuter nouns have identical nominative and accusative forms. Therefore, brottfararhliðið looks exactly the same here as it does in its subject form.
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