Breakdown of Það er mikið af kopar í myntsmiðjunni.
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
mikill
great, much (adjective: snjórinn er mikill)
Questions & Answers about Það er mikið af kopar í myntsmiðjunni.
Why do we use the neuter form mikið when kopar is a masculine noun?
Here, mikið isn't an adjective directly modifying kopar. Instead, it acts as a standalone quantifier meaning "a large amount" or "much." When used independently like this to talk about uncountable mass nouns, it takes the default neuter singular form. The phrase literally translates to "much of copper."
Is the word kopar in the dative case here?
Yes, the preposition af always governs the dative case. The masculine noun kopar happens to share the exact same form in the nominative, accusative, and dative cases, which is why it doesn't look like its ending has changed.
How does the word myntsmiðjunni break down?
It is a compound of mynt (coin or currency) and smiðja (forge or smithy). The preposition í indicating a stationary location triggers the dative case, changing the feminine noun smiðja to smiðju. Finally, the dative feminine definite article -nni is attached, making it "the mint."
How could we apply this lesson's 'ný-' participles to talk about the copper in the mint?
If you wanted to describe the copper as "newly minted" or "recently struck," you could combine the prefix ný- with the past participle of slá (to strike or mint coins). You could say the copper is nýsleginn.