Breakdown of Við sitjum úti í kjarrinu og horfum á lækinn.
og
and
úti
outside
við
we
sitja
to sit
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
horfa
to watch
á
to/at (with verbs of perception: hlusta á, horfa á)
lækurinn
the brook
kjarrið
the brushwood
Questions & Answers about Við sitjum úti í kjarrinu og horfum á lækinn.
Why do we use the dative kjarrinu after úti í here?
This relates directly to our lesson on compound prepositions! The combination of the stationary place adverb úti (out) and the preposition í (in) tells us this is a fixed location. Because there is no motion towards a new destination, í takes the dative case (kjarrinu). If we were walking out into the brushwood, we would use the directional adverb út and the accusative case: út í kjarrið.
If we are sitting still, why does á lækinn use the accusative case?
Normally, á takes the dative case for fixed locations. However, here á is not acting as a locational preposition; it is bound to the verb horfa (to look). The phrasal verb horfa á (to look at) always requires its object to be in the accusative case, regardless of whether you are moving or sitting still.
What is the base form of kjarrinu?
The base noun is kjarr (brushwood or scrub), which is a neuter noun. The -inu ending is the dative singular definite article, giving us in the brushwood.
What happens to the -ur ending of lækur (brook) when it becomes lækinn?
Lækur is a strong masculine noun where -ur is just the nominative ending, not part of the root word. To form the accusative, you drop the -ur, leaving the stem læk. Then you simply add the masculine accusative definite article -inn to get lækinn.
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