Breakdown of Fararstjórinn bíður á mætingarstaðnum.
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
bíða
to wait
mætingarstaðurinn
the meeting point
fararstjórinn
the tour leader
Questions & Answers about Fararstjórinn bíður á mætingarstaðnum.
How can I change this sentence to mean 'The tour guide is supposed to be waiting at the meeting point' using this lesson's grammar?
You use á að (from eiga að, which expresses expectation or hearsay) followed by the infinitive. The conjugated verb bíður changes to its infinitive form bíða, making the sentence: Fararstjórinn á að bíða á mætingarstaðnum.
Why is mætingarstaðnum in the dative case here?
The preposition á governs the dative case when it describes a stationary location (answering 'where?'). Since the tour guide is waiting at a fixed spot, we use the dative form staðnum. If there were motion towards the meeting point, á would take the accusative (staðinn).
If the tour guide is waiting FOR someone or something, how would we add that to the sentence?
The verb bíða requires the preposition eftir when you want to say you are waiting for something, and eftir always governs the dative case. For example, if he is waiting for the group, it would be: Fararstjórinn bíður eftir hópnum á mætingarstaðnum.
How exactly are the compound nouns fararstjórinn and mætingarstaðnum constructed?
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