Breakdown of Við notum sams konar uppröðun í gagnasafninu.
við
we
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
nota
to use
sami
the same (masculine, sister forms: sama, sömu)
konar
kind (used in genitive expressions)
uppröðunin
the arrangement
gagnasafnið
the database (data collection)
Questions & Answers about Við notum sams konar uppröðun í gagnasafninu.
Why is sams konar written as two words here, and how does it relate to the -konar suffix?
Phrases like sams konar (same kind), alls konar (all kinds), and hvers konar (what kind) are traditionally written as two separate words, though you will often see them written as a single word in everyday Icelandic (samskonar). Both parts of the phrase are locked in the genitive case, literally translating to 'of the same kind'.
Does sams konar need to change its form to agree with the noun uppröðun?
No, it acts as an indeclinable adjective phrase. Because it is already a fixed phrase in the genitive case, it never changes its ending to match the gender, number, or case of the noun it describes. You will use sams konar exactly as it is, regardless of what follows it.
The verb nota takes the accusative case. Why doesn't uppröðun change its ending here?
It actually is in the accusative case! The word uppröðun (arrangement) is a feminine noun ending in -un. A handy rule for these -un nouns is that their nominative, accusative, and dative singular forms are always identical. The word only changes if it is in the genitive singular (uppröðunar) or if it becomes plural.
What are the building blocks of the word gagnasafninu, and why is it dative here?
It is dative because the preposition í indicates a static location here (where something is, not where it is going). The compound word is made of gögn (data, used here in the genitive plural connecting form gagna-) plus safn (a collection or database). The -inu at the end is the attached definite article for a neuter, dative, singular noun.
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