Breakdown of Núna liggur hann niðri í gilinu og bíður.
og
and
hann
he
núna
now
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
bíða
to wait
liggja
to lie (be in a horizontal position)
niðri
downstairs / down (location)
gilið
the ravine
Questions & Answers about Núna liggur hann niðri í gilinu og bíður.
Why does this sentence use niðri instead of niður for down?
Because the action is stationary. The verb liggur (is lying) shows that he is already at the location and staying there. Niðri means down in a location (no motion), whereas niður implies moving downwards towards a location.
Why is gilinu (the ravine) in the dative case here instead of the accusative?
The preposition í governs the dative case when describing a stationary position (where someone or something currently is). Since he is just lying down in the ravine, there is no movement from the outside into a new location. If he were climbing or falling down into it, we would use motion words and the accusative case (niður í gilið).
I always mix up the verbs liggja and leggja. Why is liggur used here?
Why is the verb liggur placed before the subject hann?
Icelandic strictly follows the V2 (verb-second) rule. Because the sentence starts with the time adverb Núna, the conjugated verb must immediately follow it to stay in the second position, which pushes the subject hann to the third spot.
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